Digital Recovery
by NoctIsFishing
Summary: This is a story of eight people living their ordinary lives, each of them yearning for meaning they feel has been missing. When their paths cross, they realize that they had more in common than just going to the same summer camp fifteen years ago. What was missing had been taken away from them all along, and they have to join together to take it all back.
1. System:Obstruction:Taichi

_**cross-posted to Ao3_

* * *

 **DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 1**

 **System Obstruction**

 **-Taichi-**

* * *

 ** _obstruction (n.):_** _a thing that impedes or prevents passage or progress; an obstacle or blockage._

* * *

Yagami Taichi was living an ordinary life. Fresh from university, he eased his way into a job at a high-tier financial corporation. He adjusted to wearing a suit and tie every day, and his boss liked him enough to let him keep his long, poufy hair to his desired length. He was okay with the 8-to-5 work week, and the pay was more than enough to make a living on his own, aside from letting his baby sister room with him.

Not one person let him walk down the halls of the office without greeting him. For a while, he was the happy-go-lucky, bright-eyed new guy-all the senior staff wanted to adopt him, others wanted to befriend him. A few of the ladies wanted to introduce him to their daughters. They all loved him, and he welcomed their company, both at work and socializing out on the town, even if some of them were his only friends.

Yagami Taichi was living an ordinary life, but he yearned for something more. He wanted more than just looking over stacks and stacks of papers to make sure the numbers were right, more than entering those numbers from paper to computer screen, pushing the same buttons with the same rapid click-clack sounds over and over. He was tired of watching the numbers filling the same lines and columns on the screen, and he almost thought to stare at his phone, or to bring a book, or to even close his eyes to dream while tapping the keyboard; anything that could keep his mind from going crazy.

It was one moment he so much as blinked, and the cursor on the screen stopped moving. Tai paused and tapped a key, and the cursor continued to blink, though remained in place.

 _Tap_ , he tried again. _Tap. Tap._

When he tapped once more, the computer beeped, the tiny lights of the hard drive dimmed, and the screen wiped blank.

"What…" Taichi uttered under his breath, not believing his eyes. He had been entering this batch of data all week, and he was due to give it all to his boss before the end of the day. He jumped out of his chair, the stack of unreviewed files knocked over and spilling onto the floor. He pushed the power button on the hard drive that refused to turn on. He frantically searched around the monitor and storage, making sure the cords were plugged in correctly.

"Yagami-san!" exclaimed an assistant who had just passed by. She ran over, gathering the scattered papers beneath his desk. "What happened?!"

"I… I don't know—The computer just—"

A coworker next to Taichi's cubicle peered from his own, leaning back from his chair.

"Oh no, did it shut down on you?" the coworker asked. "That's a brand new computer too, strange for it to do that."

Taichi groaned and pushed the power button again—thankfully, the system lights glowed and he heard the sound of the computer powering up. The assistant and the coworker now joined him on either side. He held his breath, waiting in anticipation as the loading screens popped up and the desktop wallpaper appeared.

Upon clicking into the program, an error message popped up.

" _'Program doesn't exist'_?" said his coworker incredulously. "Oh, boy. You better get this to tech support. I'm sure boss will understand."

"All that work…" Taichi sighed and fell back into his chair, feeling as though the wind was knocked out of him. He looked over to the stack of papers the assistant just re-piled onto his desk, which he knew would take at least a week. The feeling of panic filled him, knowing that losing his work would push him back even more.

It was the same panic he felt from a dream, in which he was trapped in a cave. He was able to move, though bound to a wall by the chains on his wrists. It was too dim, too foggy to tell but there were others around him, all but two on the ground unconscious. One of them was a girl held up by the back of her shirt collar by another someone—something? —as she cried out Taichi's name. Taichi lunged forward toward them, desperately wanting to escape the chains, his screaming and shouting too muffled for him to understand, but his tears flying from the corners of his eyes. With a click, she fell limp, and that something dropped her to the ground.

That something—was it even human? —zoomed forward to Taichi, and he could see, very clearly, its eyes fiery, and its grin wide with malicious intent.

"You'll pay for this," Taichi heard himself utter with rage as he felt a cold bump under his neck on the left side, and heard a click that instantly turned everything to black.

"Yagami-san?"

Taichi blinked, and his view returned to his cubicle. The computer screen still showed the error message, and the assistant was still at his side, staring at him with concern. He must have blacked out again for a moment, like he always did with this dream, but explaining what happened to anyone would worry them even more. Taichi sighed, sitting up from slouching and rubbing the left side of his neck.

"I better start over, I suppose," he told her.

"I called tech support—they're already on their way," she said. "They'll give you a replacement for now, but they're going to try restoring this one. Something about 'Digital Recovery'."

"I appreciate your hard work," he replied, and she smiled and bowed before walking away. His mind drifted to that dream again. He first dreamt it in summer camp during middle school, but it didn't show up again until the end of high school. It came to him sometimes as he slept, and in some cases, in moments of high stress, which seemed to happen a lot more to him, lately.

Taichi was used to putting this recurring dream to the back of his mind for him to go on about his ordinary life; although the face of evil before him, with the anger in his pounding heart remained at the forefront.

It _was_ a dream, right?


	2. System:Unstable:Jou

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 2**

 **System Unstable**

 **-Jou-**

* * *

 ** _unstable (adj.):_** _a. disposed to temperamental, emotional, or psychological variability_

* * *

Kido Jou was late yet again. No matter how early he tried to wake, he found himself flying out of the subway train, holding his shoulder bag as he hurried to his bookstore. As clumsy as he was, he hardly ran into anything anymore, as though people were used to dodging out of his way as he ran past.

His sole employee appeared to be used to him as well, watching Jou through the window storefront as he knocked over the wooden sign set on the curb right outside the door, and then stumbled through the door as the bell chimed above.

"Twenty minutes on the nose, Kido-san," said the employee, a tall boy with short, blond hair, eyes bright but his face wearing a smug. "You're lucky you have me here."

"I am eternally grateful, Takeru-kun," Jou replied through his panting.

Jou couldn't remember what inspired him to open his own bookstore, but managing it kept his mind busy. There was always something to keep track of—book inventory of all genres and conditions, alphabetizing titles, where to position shelves and furniture—it made the bookstore like his second home.

Well, perhaps, it was more of a home than what his used to be—a three-bedroom house he once occupied together with a wife and child, both of whom realized that he who they depended on thrived only for his work. Now, he was dreading the nights alone, wishing it didn't have to come to that.

"Don't forget to unbox the new deliveries," said Joe.

"I've already started," TK replied. "I stacked some of the used book donations in your office."

His desk, once he made his way to his office in the backroom, had already been scattered with papers, receipts, inventory lists, and the like. It was no wonder TK stacked the books on the floor lined up against the side of his desk. Jou ran his hand through his dark blue hair, took a seat, turned his desk lamp on, and pushed the loose papers to the side. He figured he would ask TK to organize it later.

The first book off the stack was worn, with the front cover torn from the binding, the first few pages nearly falling out. Jou shuffled through his drawers and fished out glue, some thread, and other tools, with the feeling of determination that the book can be salvaged. The price he would end up selling it for never mattered to him; what mattered was the precision of the glue against the binding, the evenly spaced threading to keep the pages intact, the overall finer details that restored the book to its best condition.

Jou rarely left his desk whenever there was a new set of used books to mend. Sometimes his mind strayed to working alongside people rather than books, with the gratification of saving lives…

Nah, he couldn't. He knew he was too unreliable for that.

Jou heard the bell chime from time to time throughout the day, but it was the time in the afternoon when he decided to walk out of the office. Checking on TK, he observed him leaning on top of a bookshelf ladder, holding a copy of a book mid-air. His starry-eyed stare was not towards the shelf but to the front of the store, where a lean, young woman stood, her head turning at her surroundings, and her short, brown hair giving a nice frame to her angelic features. She set her bag down on one of the couches in the seating area, and put her attention to the fish tank next to it.

"Ah, well if it isn't our beloved patron, Hikari-chan," said Joe with a smile, walking towards her. "Welcome back!"

"Hello, Kido-san," she said in her quiet, shy nature. She gave a gentle smile that almost had a sadness to it. "I hope the fish haven't been too lonely today."

"Don't worry, Kari, I've been making sure they're well-fed," said TK, who had climbed down from the ladder, no longer appearing frozen but chipper. "You came in on a good day—so many new books came out. Wanna see?"

Her smile widened to a grin, and she hurried past Jou to join TK. Jou moved closer to observe his fish tank, which always made for a conversation piece to his patrons. Somehow, having that to look at every day brought him a sense of comfort.

Jou heard a laugh, and turned to see that Hikari was giggling at TK who must have cracked a joke. He looked on as Hikari and TK walked to the shelf toward the front together, exchanging smiles that could wipe away rain clouds and make the sun shine again. Just like they did that summer—

Summer camp was a long time ago, but he immediately recognized TK the moment he walked in holding a 'Help Wanted' sign in his hands, one that he didn't remember even putting up. TK was the youngest at the camp, maybe he was little bratty just like he is now, but he definitely remembered TK then.

Maybe he was getting old. Hikari wasn't at camp. How did he remember her?


	3. System:Discarded:Takeru

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 3**

 **System Discarded**

 **-Takeru-**

* * *

 ** _discarded (n.):_** _cast out; rejected._

* * *

Stock the books. Dust the shelves. Feed the fish. Keep the store tidy. Takeru Takeishi normally completed his bookstore to-do list by the afternoon on most days, earlier on the less busy days. When he had nothing to do, he would either join Kido-san to watch the fish go about their swimming, maybe take a stroll up and down the street, or just stand behind the cash register with one hand to rest his chin on, the other holding a book he liked to lose himself in.

Life was better for him nowadays, especially since the day he found the bookstore. He spent his adolescence depending on his older brother, Yamato, who constantly scolded him, and his mother, who loved him enough to pamper him until he graduated high school when she didn't have it in her to pamper him anymore, and kicked him out.

Takeru realized he took his family for granted, even as Yamato took him in, but he always believed he couldn't amount to anything, and that his mother no longer loved him because of it. He drifted away from all of his school friends, and from whatever dreams he made up for himself in school—What good was it ever going to do for him, anyway?

Try as he might, he couldn't avoid the sorrow lingering in the back of his mind while he worked at the bookstore, no matter how many times Kido-san praised him for being a fine, diligent worker. Even so, he liked the fact that his tasks kept his mind away from his thoughts, and that he was liked by Kido-san and all the patrons that visited the bookstore.

And, he liked seeing Hikari pop into the store from time to time. He couldn't point a finger at it, but even with her friendly, cheerful demeanor, he sensed she hid something from others, too, a despair possibly similar to his own.

He pondered over it, even as he stood at the cash register counter that afternoon, a book held in front of him but his eyes away from the lines of the open pages and peering over to Hikari, who sat comfortably on the couch, reading a book of her own. He stared in curiosity as her eyes moved right to left, looking deep in concentration, placing her fingers at the tip of the page as she anticipated to turn to the next.

"Gaaah, Kari, there you are."

The bell chimed as the front door opened, and Takeru looked from the cash register to see Hikari's older brother, Taichi, stand there, shoulders slumped and looking relieved. Takeru looked over to Hikari again, who did not budge from her position. It was at that moment that her eyes lit up and her mouth opened with a laughter so joyful that it nearly wiped his sorrow away.

"Yo, 'Keru!"

TTakeru stood up, feeling himself slightly jump from leaning against the counter. Taichi just called him, and now stood at the other side, eyebrows raised.

"It's okay if I call you that, right?" Taichi asked.

"Sure! 'Keru, or TK," he replied with casual shrug. "Either is fine, 'Chi—" Takeru noted a flash in Taichi's stare. "…Taichi…"

He was relieved to see Taichi laughing. "Tai's just fine. I thought I'd finally introduce myself, seeing that I'm always in here, thanks to that one over there."

"She seems to enjoy it here," said Takeru, "for the books," he added quickly.

"Why else would she like it here?" Taichi stared again, suspiciously, making Takeru feel a little warm with unease.

"You know, it's probably the books I recommend her, anyway," he said, laughing nervously. "Usually it's a fantasy adventure story I think she might fancy."

"Oh, yeah—She's been telling me a lot about that. You must really be into those."

Takeru could start taking about fantasy adventure fiction and go on forever. He loved reading about worlds where monsters and other fantastical beings existed alongside humans, whether they fought together as evil versus good, or even joined forces. He only wished these stories happened in his reality.

"I think stories like those are the most inspiring," Takeru told Taichi, his eyes wandering Hikari's way again.

Her eyes were sad now as she continued her silent adventure through the pages. Was she at the moment of tragedy where she was reading? Or was it a sadness she carried, only revealed when she thought no one was watching? Either way, Takeru was tempted to run to her and hold her in his arms, something that just seemed natural to do.

He imagined being a part of his own adventure story, at a time she feared for the worst. He was just as afraid, and they both cried together in the darkness surrounding them, save for the bright blurry orb of orange and white above them both. From that orb came a small voice who shouted for them to hurry, and together, he and Hikari ran together, holding their hands tightly as they did.

"Yo… 'Keru? Are you alright?"

Takeru realized Taichi was looking at him with suspicion once again, although, this time, Hikari was next to Taichi, looking on with concern. Takeru shook his head, massaging the back of it.

"I'm alright," he said—at least, he wanted to hope—then he noticed the book in Hikari's arms. "Did you like it enough to buy it?"

"Mmhmm!" she said gleefully.

Before Taichi could comment on Hikari's reaction, he looked behind her and saw that Jou had come out from hiding once again.

"If it isn't the Book Doctor himself!" said Taichi, walking over to Jou. Hikari handed the book over to Takeru, and he punched the keys on the register, listening to Jou turn down another one of Taichi's invites to the bar. Hikari then passed on yen, to which Takeru took from her, feeling a flutter as her hand brushed against his in passing.

He leaned over the counter to hand the book and to her along with the receipt, but she just looked at him with a smile.

"Have this first," she said, placing a beige something on his head. It was his bucket hat that he stored away while he worked—how did she get it?

"It really suits you," she said, before grabbing the receipt hugging the book in her arms.

"Nice hat," Taichi said, meeting up with Hikari as they headed out the door. "See you later, Jou, 'Keru!"

Takeru held his hand up to them, wondering if he left his hat on the couch for her to find, then turned to Kido-san, who appeared next to him with a grimace.

"What did I tell you about wearing your hat in here?" he asked.

"Sorry, Kido-san," he said, quickly removing it. He looked out the window at the storefront, seeing Taichi and Hikari still standing there. Taichi spoke to her, then they both turned to walk along the street, with Taichi putting his arm around her shoulder. Takeru didn't know Taichi well enough, but anyone who first met him would see how greatly he cared for his younger sister.

It made him think about Yamato. Takeru rarely saw him at home, and when he did, they barely exchanged words, though Yamato was never receptive to small talk, anyway. But when Yamato spoke, Takeru cherished the big-brotherly words and actions toward him.

He wondered what Yamato was doing right now.


	4. System:Reassemble

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 4**

 **System Reassemble**

* * *

From outside the bookstore, hidden in a narrow alleyway across the busy street, another pair of eyes watched the Yagami siblings make their way down the road, while Kido and the Takaishi boy returned to minding the store. The eyes belonged to a young man, covered under a dark, hooded jacket, whose lips curled into a smile at the sight of those four particular people gathered in one spot. The young man turned into the alleyway and walked further in, sticking his hands in his pockets, and in a flash, the alleyway disappeared, and a large, dark room appeared before him, with spots of flamed torches lining the rock walls.

In the middle of the room, a large campfire glowed and crackled, and surrounding it lay a circle of oblong shaped objects, each with different colors and designs.

At the corner of his eye, he saw one of them wriggle in its spot.

"We were lucky to retrieve all eight of them when we did," came a female voice from a few feet away. She wore a similar jacket. "The children—can we move forward?"

He looked toward her, his covered eyes narrowing. "We've waited years until we finally got the signal—that's years of distorted lives, tainted memories. We shouldn't be too hasty."

"But what about this world?!" she exclaimed, her hands held out. "Centuries of turmoil, of suffering! We can't lose to Daemon once again…"

"Patience, my dear," he said. "Their partners still need to wake up, too."

She let her hands fall to her sides as she watched him kneel near the objects by the fire, rubbing one of them gently and seeing it bump from its interior.

"All the while, they seem to be finding their way back to each other without any of our interference," he said.

She joined him on the other side of the fire, surveying the objects. "You did say 'Knowledge' was difficult to connect."

He wiped his hands over his eyes. "Affirmative. He's so far removed from the others."

"What about 'Love'?"

He looked up at her. "That one has been quite problematic, although, things have slowly progressed."

"You mean that fight the other day…" the young woman continued.

"As luck would have it, that happened on her own accord," he replied. "Knowing her, she would have already found a replacement by now. And, knowing 'Friendship', he would have followed."

"Was it the right one, though? The replacement?"

He smiled with one corner of his lips curling. "I made sure of it."


	5. System:Dissonance:Yamato

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 5**

 **System Dissonance**

 **-Yamato-**

* * *

 ** _dissonance (n.):_** _lack of harmony or agreement._

* * *

"Why am I not surprised?"

Ishida Yamato had just entered a new public house for the first time. It was much cleaner than the last one he frequented. The bottom of his shoes didn't stick to the floor, and he didn't nearly trip over a broken glass of spilt beer. The pub was bigger, too; there was an area with tables and chairs, and a small stage where a microphone stand currently set in the center.

At the bar, a group of four guys sat at one end, chattering and laughing amongst themselves, immediately irritating him; and then, a young woman his age, standing behind the bar, her short, orange-brown hair flipped out, staring at him with her perceptive amber eyes, as though waiting for him to respond to her question.

Yamato walked on quietly to the opposite end of the bar, furthest from the noisy bunch. He stretched out his arms, straightening the leather jacket he wore and decided to keep on. He wasn't going to answer her, whether or not she expected him to, but he figured she knew him well enough to understand—there was no reason for him to go back to that last bar without her in it.

A moment later, she placed a short glass in front of him, filled with golden brown liquid. Whiskey on the rocks. Their eyes met as he lifted the glass to her in acknowledgment before taking a sip. It was his drink of choice after a long day of cleaning lecture halls and restrooms at the local university. It was a job that he never cared for, just something doable with a decent pay, and it didn't require much socializing with others.

He was well aware that he was much more intelligent than what he gave himself credit for. School bored him, and he stopped going to classes in the middle of his third year of high school, but he still went to the library to scour through the sections with physics and chemistry books. Sometimes, he found a quiet place on campus to read a book about planets and galaxies, and even stood at the door of a lecture longer than he should just to hear the astronomy professor's theories about other worlds, only dreaming that one day, he would be out there, exploring those worlds and escaping the misfortunes of this one.

For now, he was content with escaping this world with the drink in front of him, although, even at that moment, the group of four at the other end had just raised their volume of laughter, raising Yamato's annoyance even more. Maybe it was just his mere preference of silence, or his distaste towards people in general. He barely had any friends, and, at most, he conversed with only two people: Takeru, his younger brother and roommate, and—

"Hey! New girl!" came a new voice. A man sat at the center of the bar, and Yamato saw his bartender friend unresponsive, her attention drawn toward the loud group, as though she was wondering. The man smacked his hand loudly at the table counter in front of him, catching her attention then, and even hushing the group for a moment.

Already, Yamato disliked this guy, and watched him reproachfully as the bartender approached him and asked what he'd be having. He responded with his drink, and then made his advances to offer her one, which she quick-wittedly denied. Yamato knew she had no problem dealing with this guy, knowing her usually callous nature, although the guy's attitude reminded Yamato of many of the shameless others, including the one who got her kicked out of her job at the last bar.

Meanwhile, the group went back to their rowdy chatter, and Yamato heard them refer to one of them by a name—Jensen, he thought—and another one of them mentioned:

"This is a new record for you, Tai!" the guy called Jensen shouted with laughter.

 _Tai_ …? Yamato looked past the smarmy individual who had just lost his bartender's attention once again. She was looking at the same guy Yamato was staring at now, there was no mistaking his name, that hair—

"Taichi?" he heard her say. "Yagami Taichi? From Odaiba High School?"

The guy with the hair turned to her, falling silent, but Yamato saw his mouth fall slightly open in surprise.

"Sora?"

Suddenly, it made sense why Yamato felt so irritable at that group. Taichi, one of the popular jocks in high school. They never talked back then; neither did he and Sora, the three of them in the same grade, but they all knew each other. Yamato remembered encountering Taichi most at summer camp in middle school, as boisterous as the Taichi before him now, occasionally clashing with his own reserved nature.

Somehow, his memory suggested they were friends at one point in camp, with Taichi laughing and slapping his back in comradery. Takeru was in that memory, too, and others, including Sora, with a cheerful smile that seemed odd to him. He always questioned the hazy memories of summer camp, including that of Taichi leading the group through the snow.

Why the hell did it snow in the middle of summer? He remembered following a much shorter Takeru, who stopped and turned to grin at him, before a burst of light and dark smoke clouded his view even more.

"Matt…?" A voice echoed from afar. A sharp pain shot through his temples, causing him to see only blinding light. Maniacal laughter entered the echoes, and an image of wolf-like creature in front of him, though its body appeared to be made of metal, guarding him while being caught in an explosion. Blinding light flashed again, and the metal wolf disappeared, leaving only a devil-like figure floating before him, and then—

" _Matt_."

He heard Sora's urgent voice in front of him now, his hand holding the top of his throbbing head and into his hair. Nausea teased from behind his throat. Sora's hand was on his other hand as it rested on the counter. As his breathing calmed, the pulsing in his head lessened, and the nausea went away, he looked up at her, her stare cautious and concerned.

"Are you good, Matt?" she uttered.

He nodded as he stared back at her to give her a sense of affirmation, sensing she would otherwise stand watch over him all night if she had to.

Just as he did for her. Sora, his second acquaintance, whom he discovered she was working at the rundown bar by chance, after his uninspiring first day at his job. She wasn't very chatty either, and was cold even to him when he ordered his first glass of whiskey, but it was what he had in common with her.

That, and the blinding lights, the headaches, the nausea—it happened to her, too, if not worse than to him.

"Hey, Sora!" one from the group called as she turned from Yamato, back to her expressionless mode with no sign of worry as she walked over to them. "Tai was too shy to call you back here—something about being shy with pretty girls!"

"No wonder he kept staring!" said another.

Yamato heard a "Shut up, Jensen!" from Taichi, and he wasn't sure if his headache was worsening by their continued bustling conversation, or if he just needed to cut back on the whiskey. Those guys, especially Taichi, he knew that he wanted to punch in the face, but he knew they wouldn't cause any trouble for him, or for Sora, which he decided then he could tolerate for the time being.


	6. System:Virulence:Sora

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 6**

 **System Virulence**

 **-Sora-**

* * *

 _ **virulence (n.):** a. the severity of a harmful disease or poison; b. extreme hostility._

* * *

"Takenouchi Sora, right? I remember you."

Sora eyed the man sitting at the center of the bar counter without responding. She continued taking orders from other customers, refilling beers for Taichi's party, and even facing a different direction to mix a cocktail, whatever it took to avoid conversation with him. He looked to be a little older than she was, with a lean, muscular build, but with an air of arrogance that she especially despised.

"You played tennis at Odaiba High, didn't you?" he continued. "All the boys kept talking about the hot tennis chick."

She showed no reaction, though hiding her growing contempt, as she saw him looking her up and down from the corner of her eye. As she set a stout in front of Taichi, she noticed his mates were getting up from their stools. One of them grinned at Sora as he slapped Taichi's back.

"Make sure that's his last one, alright?" one of them told her, and they all walked out together, leaving Taichi on his own.

Before Sora could question why, there was a laugh from the man at the center.

"Yagami Taichi! _Now_ I remember!" he shouted. "The year Odaiba's soccer team made it to the finals. You're _that_ Taichi who blew it with the final kick at the end. You cost your team the championships—what a loser!"

The man continued laughing. Sora watched Taichi lower his shoulders and his eyes as he took a few gulps of his stout. The fact that Taichi didn't react in defense annoyed her, but for some reason, listening to the man's drunken mockery annoyed her even more.

"I think you've had enough to drink," Sora told the man, glaring.

"Come on, I can't be as drunk as that failure over there," he replied. "Get me another drink. One for you, too."

Sora's eyes narrowed at him as she headed to the inner counter to print out his receipt. "You're being out of line. Pay for your tab and go."

"Not until you say yes, darling. The offer still stands."

Simmering with anger, she slammed the piece of paper in front of him. "How stupid can you get?! I already said no!" Before she lifted her hand, the man grabbed her by the wrist, careless that his empty glass had shattered onto the floor. Sora gasped as she tried breaking from his strong grasp, her other hand reaching for her pocket.

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer," he said with his demanding stare.

Suddenly, Sora heard stools slide against the wooden floor from the opposite ends of the bar. Yamato jumped on his feet, and so did Taichi. Taking advantage of the man's surprise, Sora smacked her free palm hard across his face to free herself from his hold. It was as she pushed him away that she saw Yamato grab him by the collar, dragging him out of the pub.

The customers sitting scattered around the rest of the pub fell silent, and from behind the stage, another man stomped out, stopping at the end of the bar where Yamato had been sitting.

"What was that racket, Takenouchi?!" he asked, sternly.

"Just an unruly customer, sir," she replied, massaging her wrist.

"I heard what happened at the other bar. I don't need you causing trouble in mine, either, you hear?"

The manager walked away, and the low chatter among the other customers began again. Sora turned to see that Taichi had climbed back onto his stool, and his glass was nearly empty. Maybe she felt pity, or a pang of nostalgia when she saw him stand up for her. Taichi's friends warned her not to give him another glass, but that didn't stop her from pouring another and silently placing it in front of him.

Taichi looked up at her, but she already turned from him, which was her natural way of serving her guests to avoid any further interaction. Still, she found herself wanting to talk to him.

"You let your friends leave you like that?" she asked, drawing her attention to washing shot glasses and beer mugs.

"I like to sit alone for a while before going home," he said. "I'm not an alcoholic, by the way."

"I wasn't going to ask."

Silence fell between them, and Sora heard the faucet water running and the clinking of glasses, but she waited for him to say more.

"Was that Matt?" he asked as she shut off the water. She turned to him, holding a cloth to wipe the water spots from the glass.

"Yeah," she said. "We hardly talk to each other, but he was always at the last bar I worked at, too."

Sora noticed his suspicion as he took more sips of his drink. "Is he stalking you?"

She shot him a look. "No."

"Is he your boyfriend, then?"

"Just a friend."

She stared harder with a scowl, now feeling regret for opening up conversation. By the way his seemingly drunk eyes stared back, her face hardened as she sensed his next question.

"I'm not seeing anyone, either," she said, turning around to set the glass down and pick up another.

"What makes you think I was going to ask that?" he asked.

"I see that look all the time."

Silence again. She turned to finish wiping all the glasses, glad that he stopped talking. It was her first night working at this pub, and, like any new regular customer, she expected for Taichi to adjust to her disinterest in conversation. Maybe, since he liked to sit alone, he would turn out a little bit like Yamato, who showed up and kept to himself the majority of the time.

"Why here, Sora?" he asked then.

"Here?" she asked back. It seemed to be a harmless question made for small talk. She went into her story, how she pulled a knife on a customer at the last pub for trying to assault her. He claimed she made him the wrong drink, but he had commented on the wanting to see the tattoo of a phoenix he heard she had on her back. After getting kicked out, she found out this pub needed extra help, so she took her chance.

"No, Sora," he said. "I meant, why _here_? What are you doing in a bar?"

Sora felt her shoulders tense up. "People come to drink, always wanting to have a good time," she replied. "But some people show it more than others—how miserable they truly are, and having a drink makes them feel better. Why not be the one who serves them to take that misery away?"

Taichi looked at her. "You're not as hateful as you make yourself out to be."

Hearing this appalled her.

"Don't act like you know me!" she said with her voice raised. How did she let the conversation go this far?

"I've known you since grade school—we were friends then. But, after summer camp…"

Sora moved to stand in front of him between the bar table. "What are you getting at?" she asked. "So, what if we drifted apart? People grow up. I haven't spoken to my mother in years, but that's because people change, maybe the way others don't expect them to. Just because you were different back then, too—"

Taichi stood up from his stool again. "You can't tell me you're happy here, Sora—"

"What if I'm not?!" she yelled in her rising temper. "Tell me how much you hate your job like you have been doing with your mates—then tell me if you have the guts to find something you actually want to do with your life!"

"Hey, this isn't—"

"This _is_ , Taichi. This is how our lives played out. How can you tell me all of this when you're just as weak as the rest of us?!"

Taichi's expression had matched the anger she conveyed until that moment, when his face flickered from shock to a look of pain. Looking away from her, he carefully sat down.

"I wish I was stronger, Sora…" he said softly, his voice quivering.

His words triggered a scene in her mind, similar to ones she might have encountered before. It was a nightmare to her, these images displaying summer camp being a dangerous affair. In this one, she discovered Taichi in chains in a dark cave along with others, and was the first to run to him. She teared up when she cupped his cheek with her hand. He appeared frustrated at being stuck in those chains, frustrated at himself, tears misting his own eyes. He said those same words he uttered at the bar, and she shook her head with disagreement, knowing he just doubted himself in this moment of weakness. She felt a feeling of warmth within her, something familiar, but she hadn't felt in a long time.

Sora heard a loud, deafening screech, and the cave and the chains disappeared, but she was startled to see her hand on his cheek as she leaned over the bar table, feeling her cheeks wet from tears and seeing his eyes just as watery.

"Testing, testing," came an amplified voice from the stage, which Sora could barely comprehend as she tried to even make sense as to what just happened. She gently pulled away with dismay, carefully stepping backwards, but her terrified stare not leaving him. Taichi then looked away, quietly wiping his eyes, then pulled out a handful of yen for his tab as he stood up and walked out without another word.

Didn't Taichi see it, too? These dreams— _nightmares_ —that felt real enough to convince her that they happened? Real enough to wonder if their lives played out the way they were meant to?

Sora wanted to run after him, but saw that Yamato appeared where Taichi just left. Yamato looked at her, and she could tell he was waiting for her to say whether she was okay, or if he needed to go back outside and hunt Taichi down for her. Wiping her eyes, she shook her head at Yamato, signaling him to silently return to his seat, and for her to quietly continue her routine of serving the misery away.


	7. System:Incapacity:Koushiro

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 7**

 **System Incapacity**

 **-Koushiro-**

* * *

 ** _incapacity (n.):_** _lack of physical or mental ability to do something or to manage one's affairs_

* * *

In the hustle and bustle of the inner-city morning, Izumi Koushiro remained off to the side, watching it all happen.

He sat on a bench in the subway, just before the steps down to the train he meant to take. People walked this way and that, some casually and some zooming past. He wondered about where they came from, what awaited them at their destinations.

Until recently, Koushiro didn't have a destination. He barely made the cut in graduating high school, and his abysmal grades rejected him from further education, much less any job.

He had no idea why. He spent a good amount of time studying, enough to get a grasp of the material. What happened during quizzes or exams was beyond him; maybe the pressure and the nerves got to him, seeing the answers in his mind disintegrate into a jumbled mess was enough to make him feel headaches and nausea every time.

His head may have been a jumbled mess at the moment, given the amount of alcohol he consumed the night before. His regular pub had a new bartender, along with a new guy he hadn't seen there before. Neither of them seemed amicable toward others, but that didn't matter much to him—he was fine, as long as he had enough to drink.

He always sat at the table closest to the stage, where he could watch the pub's regular musical act. She was there last night—the young woman who stood behind the microphone. Her long, light brown flowing locks of hair shined under the spotlight, the way she stood commanding the stage, and her brown eyes mesmerizing enough to keep anyone from looking away.

She always took notice of his presence, too—at one point in her performance, she took the stairs down from the stage and approached him, taking his chin with her finger. She never moved closer than a few inches from his face, but her starry eyes looking back at his made him wish she did.

"Mimi…" he said under his breath, as he thought back to last night. There were a lot of things he couldn't keep in his head, and a lot of things that were fuzzy the day after drinking, but he could never forget her.

Just like he couldn't forget the bartender who set his drink in front of him, then walked away before saying another word; or the new, unapproachable guy whom he saw kick someone out within a few hours of first arriving; or even the guy he saw there often, with the messy hair, usually lively with his friends.

As he stood up from his bench, another person rushed past him, dark blue hair with glasses and a bookbag. He went to summer camp with all of these people for just one month during middle school, but for reasons unknown, he couldn't forget any of them if he tried.

So, he boarded the train to ride past a few stops, then got off and walked along with the hustle and bustle, heading towards today's destination.

 _D.I.G.I. Corporation_. Koushiro stood at the steps of the tall skyscraper, reading the name at the top. With his hands resting in his jacket pockets, he felt for the business card in one of them and took it out, holding it out to make sure the name matched. Time and time again, he was approached by a guy from the bar—he could never remember his name—recruiting him to join their company. They mainly handled finance, but they were short staffed in the systems department. He always declined, knowing full well he was completely incapable, but always left the bar with one of their business cards in his pocket.

He didn't know what motivated him to go there today, but being the only job offer he's had, he wondered how his life would change with having a job, earning an income, and, although they continued to support him, gaining the feeling that his parents were genuinely proud of him.

 _Bump_. Someone rushed up the steps from behind him and he felt their body lightly hit him.

"Ah! I'm sorry, buddy," the guy said when he turned around and stopped. He gave Koushiro an embarrassed smile and scratched the back of his head full of his messy brown hair.

"Don't worry about it," said Koushiro, not wanting to acknowledge that he knew the guy, but—

"Izzy? I knew that was you." The guy held his finger up to point.

"Yeah, hey, Tai."

Koushiro looked at Taichi, who smiled even behind his exhausted expression.

"Listen, I gotta run, but you should sit with us at the bar the next time I see you," he said. "Later!"

 _So he works here, too_ , thought Koushiro as Taichi walked up the steps toward the building. He watched Taichi throughout middle school and high school, a popular kid even though he dealt with losing the championship game. Koushiro always admired him, ever since the time in summer camp, his carefree nature, always putting his foot first whenever he felt like the group needed someone to lead—

Koushiro's thought was interrupted by a sharp pain in the side of his head. He let out a gasp, closing his eyes but still seeing distorted images and fragments in his mind. The pain and the fragments left as soon as it appeared, and when he looked ahead, Taichi had already vanished into the building. That was when he realized, when he turned and walked away, he didn't want to work for this company only for someone as put-together as Taichi to watch him fail miserably.

He walked and walked until he realized he was in front of a university campus. Not as many people wandered around as there were at the train station, but perhaps a lot of the classes were in session.

It was quiet walking down the hallway of one building, except for the isolated voices of professors, talking about a story, a formula, a theory. Koushiro tried to listen in to some of them, interested in their discussions, but wishing these didn't melt away from his head after so long.

The last few lecture rooms toward the end of the hallway were empty, save for one, where he observed someone in a janitor suit, although this someone wasn't cleaning. He stood in front of the whiteboard full of numbered formulas, arms crossed on his chest as though deep in thought.

Full of curiosity, Koushiro stepped forward, about to enter, when a voice stopped him.

" _Wait! We don't know what's going to happen!"_

 _Koushiro looked to see that Jou had spoken, and the others around him stopped to look at him. They stood in front of a door built into rock walls and barriers. Yamato, Mimi, and Jou were all carrying flamed torches to light the otherwise darkened cave, but the lights showed everyone's fear and hesitation._

" _Jou's right," said Yamato. "What are we going to do if we're attacked again? We've already been separated from our partners."_

" _My brother's in there!" Hikari cried, covering her eyes with her hands. "We need to save him!"_

" _It's gonna be okay, Kari," said Takeru as he hugged her tightly._

" _I've got the layout of this cave," Koushiro heard himself say, with confidence as he whipped opened his laptop. "I can figure out how to get in and out."_

" _We'd better hurry," Mimi said, holding hands tightly with Sora, who appeared to wear her brave face. "Daemon lured us in here, we don't even know what we're up against!"_

" _I'll go in first," said Sora. "You can cover me."_

" _But-!" Jou exclaimed, though Sora went to Kari and crouched down to her, wiping Hikari's tears away with her thumbs._

" _We'll get your brother back, Kari," Sora told her reassuringly, and Hikari replied with a nod._

" _Whenever you're ready, Sora," Koushiro said, holding his unfolded laptop on his forearm as he stood behind them. Sora looked around at everyone else, and, when they all nodded together, everyone turned to face the door…_

Koushiro stumbled into the lecture room, his head spinning. He tripped down one step on the staircase but broke his fall by holding onto the chair at the edge of the aisle. Fragments of colors and black appeared in his mind once again, his head was in pain, the back of his neck numb, and he felt he could vomit any minute now.

The pain was never this bad before, the images so vivid…

"Are you alright?"

Koushiro breathed to calm his breath, and looked up at the person standing at the aisle next to him, and he realized he was sitting in the chair; he must have fallen that way. Facing him was the guy in the janitor suit, but he didn't realize, seeing only the back of his short, straight blonde hair, that it was one of the people he couldn't forget.

"Yamato…" he said, not knowing what to say.

"Answer me— _Are you alright?"_

His intimidating, commanding voice caused Koushiro to wave his hands frantically and nervously. "I'm fine! I'm fine. I'm fine…"

He continued to stare at Koushiro with an unreadable expression. Was he not convinced? Did he expect a different answer? Was he going to hurt him…?

"Hmph." Yamato walked down the aisle steps toward the whiteboard. "Go back to class, or something. I know you aren't going to report me."

"What?" Koushiro asked, now feeling calmer, though still rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't go to school here. I'm just not adequate for anything. I don't even know why I'm here…"

Yamato stopped when he held the marker tip against the board.

" 'adequate'…"

Koushiro stayed silent, watching Yamato appear as though he was thinking, then he continued to write on the board.

"Matt," Yamato said a few moments later, still facing the board.

"Sorry?"

"Ishida Yamato, but you can call me Matt."

"Izumi Koushiro. Izzy. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Koushiro saw Yamato pause with his writing, but continued conversing with his back facing.

"So, you go to that pub, too. I remember you, from years ago."

"Well, I'm different now, obviously…"

Yamato stopped writing again, although this time, he turned to look at him. "Maybe. But not much more different than I am."

Koushiro decided to get up and move to a closer seat towards Yamato, curious to find out what he meant by that. He noticed a book on the ledge of the board—a textbook on Astronomy. It was a subject he wasn't sure he believed in. When it came to planets, stars and galaxies…

Could there really be other worlds out there?

"When you walked in…" Yamato said, still writing. "You saw something, didn't you?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Something that made your head spin. A mental image of summer camp, but in a different place."

Koushiro stood up slowly in disbelief. "You know about… I mean, you have them, too?"

Yamato stopped talking, then stopped writing. He stepped back from the board, appearing deep in thought. Koushiro needed to keep this conversation going.

"I always thought they were dreams," he said, and Yamato remained quiet, as though he didn't hear Koushiro's words.

"Dreams, huh?" Yamato finally replied. "Maybe."

Then Yamato stopped and capped the marker. He turned to a chair in the front row to sit in, but continued to stare at the board which was now filled with lines and lines of a mathematical solution. Koushiro stared, too, having a feeling, maybe it was instinct, that he would understand what it all meant one day.


	8. System:Dissimulation:Mimi

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 8**

 **System Dissimulation**

 **-Mimi-**

* * *

 ** _dissimulation (n.):_** _concealment of reality under a diverse or contrary appearance._

* * *

Tachikawa Mimi thought she would be a superstar by now.

She anticipated her music to empty the shelves of all the music stores. She expected to be stopped at every corner after being recognized from TV shows, billboards and magazines. She would tour throughout Japan and the world with her big venue, sold-out concerts.

If only it all became a reality. Mimi dreamed for all of these things for years, but she now lamented one late afternoon, in the break room of the pub. She rested on the couch with her hand holding the top of her aching head.

"Mimi-san…?" the pub manager peered into the room from the door with his cautious stare, though his presence still irked Mimi.

"I told you—I want to be left alone!" she demanded, knowing that turning her head to glare at him would sting, however, she still did it.

Quietly, he slinked away and closed the door, leaving her alone with her racing thoughts. Her musician walked out on her, leaving her without a pianist, yet again. She couldn't perform tonight, meaning another night without a performance pay. It was bad enough with the pub being the only place in town that let her sing; other places had some silly excuse about her prissy, over-demanding attitude. She even hated the smell of alcohol, much less the taste—maybe that was why the headaches always returned.

The door opened again. Mimi didn't move her head this time to avoid feeling pain, but she recognized her orange-brown hair from the corner of her eye. Sora, the older girl from that one summer who only started working at this pub yesterday, and who hadn't stopped wearing that impassive expression.

"You're supposed to knock," Mimi said carelessly, closing her eyes and keeping her hand over her head.

"I'm just here to give you something to drink," Sora replied.

This struck a nerve for Mimi, thinking that Sora must have gotten the wrong impression already.

"Didn't anyone tell you I don't drink alcohol?" Mimi snapped. "That stuff is disgusting."

"I figured that out from the get-go. I brought you some tea."

Curiously, Mimi opened her eyes as Sora set a mug on the table in front of her. Slowly and carefully, she sat up on the couch, recognizing the fragrant aroma as she observed the steam from the deep red-colored liquid.

"Hibiscus?" Mimi said in surprise.

"I figured that something hot would help. It's also sweeter than most teas, and I didn't think you wanted anything bitter."

Mimi quietly picked up the mug and gently took a sip. Hibiscus tea was one of her favorites to drink. Maybe it was the tangy taste, or the magenta hue it made the water turn. It was enough to make her feel at ease. As she continued her slow sips of the hot liquid, she observed Sora looking around, then pausing at Mimi's vanity stationed against one wall. Where the huge mirror met the tabletop lined a few small pots of little cacti, which Mimi loved dearly. She remembered the last bartender arguing with her for using the whole breakroom as her dressing room, and even ridiculed her plant choice.

Although she was on her guard, she waited for Sora to ridicule her this time. Instead, Sora turned her foot and headed toward the door, not even attempting to say another word. Mimi felt appalled—Sora could have at least thanked her for letting her into her dressing room.

"Hey, Sora, wai—"

Just as she set the tea back down, Mimi felt a sharp pain in her head; a pain that she knew wasn't caused by the stress of another setback in her music career, or from any effect of alcohol. Even with her eyes closed tightly, scenes that she could never recall ever happened flashed in her mind. One moment, a blur of green appeared in front of her, the next, an explosion and smoke, and the green blur vanished.

The next scene flashed more clearly to Mimi catching up to Sora who appeared desperate to save the boy in the chains. She stopped in her tracks when a monster appeared—a terrifying, winged demon—and pried Sora away from the boy as she let out a scream. Mimi froze in fear as she watched Sora go limp in the monster's grasp before being dropped to the ground. It took a few moments for Mimi to realize that there was tugging at her brown-gloved hand, and she turned to see the dark red-headed computer boy yell at her to escape with him and the others.

Before she could start, the demon creature appeared between them, moving to grab her first. She heard the others call for her name, telling her to run. Her fear begged her to run, with them, but something else told her to face this monster head on, distract it to let the others escape, just as her partner would to protect her and her friends.

Her…partner…?

"Foolish children," the monster said with a maniacal laugh. Another flash before her eyes, and the monster held her at her wrist, a dark, cold metal clicked against her neck, and then—

"Breathe, Mimi," she heard Sora say. Her heart pounded, and she felt herself taking short, sharp breaths in her panic. She trembled in her seat, her cheeks were wet with tears, and her hand tightly held Sora's, who crouched in front of her.

Mimi never figured out why these 'scenes' played in her head, much less why they have been playing more than ever. It confused her, seeing people in these scenes that she barely knew, even as they appeared before her when she performed on the stage, yet she felt closer to them than she did with anyone else. As she calmed herself and wiped her eyes, she wondered if Sora knew exactly how she felt.

"Just like summer camp," Mimi said, her lips curling into a smile with the realization. "You were like this, too, back then."

Sora got up to sit next to her. "We were the only two girls at the start," she said. "We had to look out for each other."

Mimi looked to Sora's thin strapped tank top and giggled. "You're wearing yellow today, too. I always thought that was a great color on you. And that blue hat back then worked really well, too."

"What about you?" Sora asked with a laugh, surprising Mimi. "You rocked the pink dress and the whole cowgirl look."

"I totally grew out of that!"

They both continued to laugh with each other. To Mimi, it wasn't the laughter she contrived to flirt with her former musicians to get them to play better at rehearsal, nor was it the kind that convinced her small group of fans how happy she wished she was…

"Takenouchi!" came a yell. The door burst open by the pub manager, and Sora shot up from her seat. Mimi was too startled by the moment to yell at him for barging in. "I gave you 10 minutes, not 11!"

"I'll be right out," said Sora, and she immediately approached the door where the manager stood. Mimi stood up, not wanting her to leave.

"She helped me!" Mimi said soon after, causing Sora to stop walking and the manager to face Mimi's way. "With the tea. My… my headache's gone…"

Mimi paused as she moved her head a little and touched her hand to her head, realizing she felt no pain at all.

"Finally!" Mimi continued, giving the manager a meaner look. "Someone who actually knows what she's doing around here. I imagine you're already looking for a replacement musician for me?"

The manager sighed, rubbing his head. "We're still on it," he replied, "but we won't find anyone by tonight. I'm sorry, Mimi."

"Hmph." Mimi crossed her arms. "You should be."

Mimi waited until the manager left the room in defeat. Sora let out a chuckle, and Mimi realized that Sora still stood in the room.

"I'll be at the bar," Sora said, heading out with her back turned, but she held her hand up to Mimi. "I'll make you a Shirley Temple."

For about an hour, Mimi sat at her vanity, staring at her reflection as she freshened up her complexion before showing herself in public. The makeup to accentuate her features, the hair products to define her waves, and her practiced cheerfulness, all for the glamour she craved—but was it all worth it?

She ended up dressing down with a nice top and jeans, in contrast to a sultry dress that draped over her curves that she wore on stage. She kept the makeup light and kept her long, light brown wavy hair down, but she still spritzed on her favorite perfume.

When she emerged from her room, the evening regulars already began to show up. Past the stage that still had a spotlight on but sadly empty, she saw Izzy sitting at his usual table, and it hardly took a second for him to notice her presence. She noticed him staring, and she flashed a smile at him. He smiled back, and she wasn't sure what feeling she felt, then.

She also noticed someone else staring at her at the same table, his blonde hair short but shaggy, his blue eyes moodier than Izzy's friendly but sad ones. Mimi didn't know what to expect until he raised his glass to her in greeting.

At the bar, Sora was occupied with filling up tall glasses of beer to the group that normally sat on the right side. Mimi knew their faces from seeing them regularly—normally it was Taichi and three of his male friends, and sometimes, a woman her age sat with them. There were three males and the female so far; Taichi must have been running late. As she took a seat near them, she listened to their chatter about work, their dating stories, how amazing Taichi was—

The front door to the pub opened with a loud noise. Silence fell, and everyone, including Mimi, looked over to see that someone had stumbled in but didn't fall over completely. He was tall and lanky, and as he stood up, he fussed at his short, dark blue hair and straightened his glasses before walking further in.

 _Jou_. Mimi remembered him. Clumsy, frantic, somewhat of a prick. She hadn't seen him in years, not since…

He walked down the aisle of the bar, not realizing he was the center of attention. It was only when his eyes met Mimi's when his walk slowed. Then his eyes averted to Koushiro and Yamato, then over to Sora, then directly in front of him, where he appeared to lose balance with his last step before stopping.

"Oh, my word," he muttered.

Mimi exchanged glances with Sora, and, without thinking, she got up from her stool and went over to him. She led him to sit with her at the bar, where Sora placed a glass of water in front of him.

"It must be your first time here," Mimi said as he took a big gulp from the glass.

"Tai said he'd meet me here," replied Jou, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

"Tai?" asked Sora.

"Oh, Tai?" said a female voice from the right, and the three of them looked toward the group of Taichi's friends. "Didn't he say he wasn't showing up tonight, after all?"

"I think you're right, Nyla," said one of the male friends. "Something about taking care of Hikari-chan."

Mimi noticed Sora's troubled expression, but heard Jou sigh next to her.

"The one time I finally decide to accept his invite," Jou said with exasperation, running his hand through his hair. "I do hope Hikari-chan is alright, though."

He sat there, quietly staring at his water, but Mimi noticed his foot tapping against the stool. She wondered what to say to comfort a person she hardly knew. It wasn't in her nature, but in that moment, it felt like the right thing to do. She already heard murmurs around the bar about her helping Jou—even she knew she wouldn't bat an eye to a person in need unless it was somehow to her benefit.

Mimi was at a loss of how to interact with anyone without the superstar persona she created for herself. In her moments of hesitation, Jou joined in the conversations with Taichi's group. She saw Yamato and Koushiro at their table, too far to hear anything but their mouths alternating in movement.

"At least make friends with Shirley," Sora said, placing the iced reddish-pink drink in front of Mimi. There was no smile on Sora's face, but Mimi recognized Sora's nice gesture. She thought back to Sora's laughter from earlier, Koushiro's smile, Yamato's greeting, and then Jou's entrance… Her genuine interactions with them surprised herself.

Then that monster's malicious stare…

Mimi looked around the room, then sipped her drink. Even though Taichi didn't show up, Mimi couldn't help but feel things were changing, and not just for her.


	9. System:Rebound

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 9**

 **System Rebound**

* * *

The day started as normal. When he arrived at the office, Taichi made himself known to his next-door cubicle mate by calling his name in greeting. Jensen Nakamura answered and sat up from his desk, slapping a high-five with Taichi before he set his bag and blazer down.

"Looking sharp, as always, Yagami," Jensen said with a smile.

He sat back down, leaning back and slowly swiveling in his chair as he always did, and sipping on the fresh coffee the assistant brewed for him while he waited for his computer to start up.

"Yo, Jen," Taichi said as his face and wild brown hair appeared just above his cubicle wall. "Do you happen to know why there's a figurine of a T-Rex on my desk?"

"A T-Rex?" Jensen asked, stopping his swivel.

"I just found it." Taichi held up the golden caramel colored figure, its small arms stretched out and its mouth open, bearing its sharp teeth.

"That's… random."

"Right? It's awesome, though! I might have mentioned in passing to someone that I think T-Rexes would make cool buddies. Maybe while I was drunk, or something."

Jensen laughed. "That sounds like something you'd do."

Taichi turned back to his desk, and Jensen took another sip of his coffee, listening to Tai's imitation roars and sounds of explosion. Jensen knew that the figurine wasn't random at all.

He was the one who placed it there.

It made him smile, knowing it gave Taichi at least a small thing to lift his spirits, especially seeing his disheartened mood lately. Trying to persuade him to go for a management position to lead the pack only worsened his mood, so Jensen thought that starting small would help jog his memory.

"A kid at heart, aren't you, Yagami-san?" the ocean-blue-eyed, long red-headed office assistant appeared before them, holding a mug of coffee in one hand, and a coffee pot in the other. Taichi's sound effects stopped.

"I can't help it," said Taichi, laughing nervously.

"It's good to have that, though."

She handed Taichi the coffee-filled mug, to which he replied with thanks. Then, she moved over to Jensen, and he lifted up his mug for her to refill.

"I appreciate it, Nyla," Jensen said. She gave him a stare, one of perception, and he winked back, confirming the achievement only shared between the two of them.

However, the next time Nyla passed by Jensen's desk was after lunch, when Jensen was in deep concentration in his button pushing.

"He hasn't come back since he left for lunch," she said in a hushed manner, causing him to hit the wrong button which messed up his calculations on the screen. "I heard from Boss—something happened to Hikari-chan, so he went to check on her."

Jensen sighed and leaned back into his chair again, scratching the back of his short, dark-brown hair. "I think they're getting worse."

"Let's hope not. We'll see about tonight."

When Taichi indicated through text message he wouldn't make it to the bar that evening, Jensen wondered whether things would actually fall into place as he hoped.

* * *

"Don't look so down, Nyla," Jensen said, putting his hand on her shoulder in comfort.

Nyla Jikihara sat next to Jensen at the bar that evening, both of them between two other office mates in their group who were otherwise as chipper and loud as their group usually was. She was worried, not only about Taichi's absence, but about Hikari's condition as well. If Taichi was staying with his younger sister for longer periods each time this happened with her…

Her internal fretting was interrupted by the sounds of glass meeting the tabletop, and she turned to see Sora setting down beer glasses filled to the brim.

"Look," Jensen said, directing Nyla's attention toward the other side of the pub, where Yamato just took a seat at Koushiro's table. "A breakthrough."

"Knowl—Koushiro…" Nyla gasped, putting her hand on her heart. A wave of relief was enough to move her to feel her lower lids forming tears.

"Keep calm," Jensen said again, but still pulled her close in an embrace.

"You okay, there, Nyla?" one of the coworkers asked. Dammit—why did she have to draw attention like this?

"I'm fine," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"She's just sad that Tai's not here," Jensen added. "I think she has a crush on him."

Both of their coworkers laughed. "Doesn't everyone? Even you, Jen!"

"I do _not!_ " Nyla argued, wanting to strangle Jensen at that moment.

"I must admit, I do," Jensen said. "But…" He put his arm around Nyla's shoulders. "We both know we can't have him. As long as we have all of us, together, right?"

Nyla sighed. "I guess so."

The others kept laughing, but Nyla felt Sora's gaze on her throughout this conversation. When she looked over, Sora immediately found more interest in wiping the wine glass in her hand.

Soon, Mimi appeared at the bar, and when Jou tripped on his way in, Nyla clutched at Jensen's arm. They told Jou that Taichi wouldn't show, but their group welcomed him in their merriment.

"Tai talks about you all the time!" Jensen said with a chuckle. "The world-famous Book Doctor!"

"I wish he'd stop calling me that," Jou replied, but laughed along with them.

Nyla checked on Mimi further down the bar counter, who seemed tense and uncertain, but Sora stayed across from her, as though she kept watch on her, too. She then noticed Sora staring at Koushiro and Yamato, making Mimi glance over. Sora handed her two glasses of whiskey, and although Mimi appeared to shake her head in protest, eventually she brought the drinks over to the boys, and Yamato held out a chair for her to sit in.

"Let's head out," Jensen said, whispering closely into her ear. They both looked on to Jou, who changed bar stools and now talked to Sora, who, to their increasingly pleasant surprise, was talking back. Nyla knew that these happenings in front of them, whether with their help or things they didn't have a hand in, were certainly connected by events in the world they called their second home—the Digital World.

The other two decided to head out with them, and pitched in on their tab with yen before they left. They all put on their jackets, prepared for the cool, night air. Jensen and Nyla parted with them outside of the public house and walked the opposite direction from the rest of their party, arm in arm. Jensen turned back occasionally, their distance from them further each time.

Then, they were finally out of sight, leaving him and Nyla as the only two standing in the street. He gave her a light nudge, signaling her to put her dark hood over her head. She put her hands in her pockets, ensuring the device was in there, and nodded at the now-hooded Jensen. Together, they turned into a dark alleyway and transported into the Digital World.

However, the moment they arrived in their cavernous hideout, a small blob of a creature flew towards her, which she caught as she fell backward onto the ground. She heard bounces and squeaks around her, from others similar to the one she held up—a small, squishy red being.

"Punimon?!" she said in her disbelief as it stared curiously, then wriggled in her hands with excitement.

The DigiEggs- _they_ _hatched._

As Nyla sat up, she caught sight of Yurimon, the purple seed digimon with white, flowy strands floating past her. She heard a squeak, and a black, seed-like Digimon known as Nyokimon giggled and bounced right behind it. Veering off into a completely different direction was Bubbmon, who exuded bubbles from its lime green slimy mass.

"Where's Elecmon when you need him?" Jensen asked aloud, as he failed to catch Poyomon, the transparent jellyfish-like Digimon who floated quickly towards the edge of the room. Once Jensen got his hand on its spongy skin, he felt icy wisps of air blown into his quickly closed eyes and scrunched face. When he relaxed and opened his eyes, he found the fuzzy white blob culprit, Yukimi Botamon, alongside Pitchmon, the smallest of them all with big red eyes, both of them twitching with laughter.

"You called?"

Nyla turned her head to the direction of the rekindled campfire where she heard the voice, and Punimon jumped from her arms, bouncing towards it. She and Jensen followed as the other fresh forms floated, hopped, and slid converging to the red and indigo mammalian that emerged from behind the fire. He gave a hearty laugh, his long ears pointing up but relaxed, and he stood on his short hind legs, only leaning forward to set down the bag of grains he held to feed the hatchlings.

"You've come a long way, Elecmon," Nyla said, crouching down a few feet away as the Digimon happily feasted on the grains.

"I could sense them hatching all the way from the Village," he replied. "I came as soon as I could."

"How is it out there?" Jensen asked him, kneeling down next to Nyla.

"The World is starting to feel different. It's been a while since I've seen other Digimon come out from hiding."

Nyla remembered, her trek with Jensen to the Village of Beginnings to find the DigiEggs. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and it seemed as though only the two of them existed as they journeyed through the terrain, though they kept themselves hidden behind the trees and shrubbery as dark Digimon occasionally passed through the open pathways.

"Everyone knows, then?" asked Nyla. "Even…"

"Oh, yes," said Elecmon. "There are more of his henchmen lurking around. He has always known what you intend to accomplish."

Nyla gulped, and Jensen glanced at her, steeling his look of worry.

"The sky is brightening a little," Elecmon continued, grabbing another handful of grains with his claws and holding it out on the ground. Poyomon was the first to bounce happily towards his hand. "It's almost as though the sun finally wants to come out."

Just as he said that, they heard a loud squeak, and the other Fresh forms stopped and turned to see a small, black blob bouncing towards them. They all jumped in glee, making room for him to join their meal.

Elecmon laughed. "Look who finally decided to join the party," he said, gently patting Botamon's head.

Nyla smiled at their innocent, jubilant behavior, but couldn't ignore the dread weighing in her mind. She felt Jensen's hand on her shoulder, and when she met his stare, she knew he had the same feeling.

The Chosen Digimon were reborn, and steadily inching closer to reuniting with their humans. The gap between the monsters and children was closing at a faster rate than it ever was, but both Nyla and Jensen knew, the effects on the Children would only get worse from here.

"We'll just need to keep a closer eye on them, now," Jensen said, now grabbing Nyla's hand in comfort. "They still need their Digivices. We need to get those to them, soon."

They watched as Elecmon drew his hands back, crawling aside as the Digimon bounced in their spots. The little ones squealed and squeaked in glee as light consumed their bodies, shining brighter than the blazing campfire. Then the light faded, revealing their bigger, In-Training forms, dispersing as they all bounced away in different directions, each of them calling out their partner's names.

Elecmon hesitated at first, then sprinted off toward one direction to chase them. Nyla looked at all of them, but tightened her grip on Jensen's hand, and felt him gripping back.

"Good luck, everyone," she said under her breath.

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Author's Notes:** I'm sorry for implying the next chapter was Kari's - she's up next chapter, I promise!

You may have noticed some recent edits in the earlier chapters:  
1) Change in Yamato/Matt's chapter title, formerly "Disruption" – "Dissonance" seemed much more fitting to his character's theme. Plus, it's a reference to his musical background, which I like how that works out.  
2) Definitions on the Chosen Children's POV chapters. There's something I haven't revealed in the plot yet, but the title/definitions might clue you in. BTW, I'm glad Ao3 let me format the chapter titles the way they are now. FFN doesn't like it. :(

**Also, figured I should mention that updates may be slower within the next few weeks-as in, a new chapter may take up to two weeks to post. Don't worry, I still have a lot planned out! This is my only fic on my agenda right now, but the real world and adulting just gets in the way sometimes. ;)


	10. System:Collapse:Hikari

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 10**

 **System Collapse**

 **-Hikari-**

* * *

 _ **collapse (v.):**_ _to suddenly lose force, significance, effectiveness, or worth_

* * *

Yagami Hikari woke up with a scream.

She sat up from her pillow, terrified, lunging forward as her cries deafened her own ears. Her eyes remained shut tight in her darkened bedroom, only letting the tears escape from them.

"Kari!" she heard Taichi yell, but she only threw her face onto her pillow, sobbing loudly into it. She heard him yell her name just moments ago in a colder, darker scene… A cold, fiendish laugh resounded from behind her, coming from the monster that held her above ground by the collar of her shirt.

"Look at me, Kari," came Taichi's gentle, though urgent voice, but she was too afraid to open her eyes after watching him try to break out from the shackles a few yards away, hearing him plead with the monster to let her go. She called her brother's name helplessly, her legs swinging above the ground when she attempted to struggle free.

"You children never know when to give up," came the monster's chilling voice. "Coming back to the Digital World to save it was a grave mistake, you poor, naïve DigiDestined. Look at all of you now…"

Hikari sobbed as she looked around at the others once again as they lay scattered on the ground, unmoving. In her head, she wished, hoped, begged for them to wake up…

What she got instead was malicious laughter, continuing to fill the air around her.

"Your efforts up until now have been worthless! It's too bad, after all of this is over, none of you will remember a thing."

"Let her go!" cried Taichi through his struggle. The monster's laughter only increased in volume, and Hikari gasped as it pushed something cold, hard, and metallic against the side of her neck.

"Farewell, Child of Light," it whispered into her ear. "May darkness be the only thing you'll ever see—"

"Kari, I'm here."

Hikari finally opened her eyes. The lamp in her bedroom was on, and Taichi stared back at her anxiously, holding her shoulders as he sat in bed with her.

"Tai…" she said in her cautious breath, blinking tears from her eyes. Her hands ran over his cheeks, then along his arms up to his wrists that were free of cuffs. Realizing they were both out of danger, she threw her hands around him and held him tightly, crying freely into his shirt. "Oh, Tai…"

"Shh," he said, cradling her in his arms. "It's alright now."

 _It's alright now._

It was never alright, no matter how many times Taichi told her. He said it earlier that day, when she gained consciousness from fainting on the floor of Kido-san's book shop. She remembered him saying it as far back as the day she woke up at summer camp, not even remembering how she even got there. Not even Taichi recalled, but their parents were adamant that she begged them to take her after she got over her illness.

She wanted to believe Taichi, every time he told her since then, whenever she became too feverish to go to school. She saw doctor after doctor, none who could figure out her illness that never worsened, but never improved. He still kept telling her, even when her parents decided to home school her, after missing too many days, and then, when Taichi was old enough to move out, and took her in to alleviate the strain on her parents. It tortured her, having to rely on her older brother all the time. She could never keep a steady job in her condition, not with her constant fever and fainting spells that always got in the way.

"It's alright now," he said again soothingly, and she continued to sob as he held the back of her head. He held her close, in her bedroom with the light on from the lamp, but nothing could take away the despair that remained.

Throughout the years, she couldn't help but feel that it was this despair within her that led her to this illness, to those nightmares she started having once in a blue moon, but recently, more often than she ever wanted to. They only became increasingly vivid, tonight's being the most vivid of all.

 _It's alright now._ She couldn't imagine where she would be if Taichi never said it at all.

"Gatomon…" she said suddenly, muffled through his tear-soaked shirt.

"Gatomon?" Taichi repeated.

Hikari pulled apart from him, looking down at her pillow that fell between them, wondering how she came to say that. The thought disappeared as fast as it came to her, as though it was taken away from her, just like…

She felt a cold, numbing chill at the side of her neck, where she put her hand to rub it. Taichi put his palm to her forehead as though to check for a fever, and it was then that Hikari noticed—she took his palm from her head and held it in front of her, feeling its clamminess.

"Tai…" she said in her fearful curiosity, feeling dampness of the back of his hair, the uneven streams of tears on either side of his face, and it became clearer to her. "You were dreaming it, too, weren't you?" She felt his wrist again, and saw that his hand clenched tightly into a fist.

"I feel so trapped, every time…" he said through his gritted teeth. "Watching everyone fall, one by one, including you… I'm so sorry, Kari…"

Her eyes widened, seeing his head lower with his shoulders trembling in front of her. She was always at a loss at what to do, seeing him fall apart when she was the broken one. As she held his hand, she looked to the glass of milk on her bedside table, as well as the stack of books next to her glowing lamp. Takeru…

Among the group of strangers in her nightmares—visions?—Takeru seemed to be by her side every time. Questions bubbled up inside her each time she saw Takeru at the book shop, but each time, she hesitated, and smiled instead, giving him something she thought he needed to brighten his day.

She confided this to Taichi, and he shared his own daily encounters with her in return. He played it cool after encountered Kido-san when he first discovered her sanctuary in his book shop, and then, when he started seeing Koushiro at his bar, as well as Mimi singing on stage.

And just the night before, he entered the apartment slumped over at the front door. Hikari wondered, at first, what would have brought him to drink so much to come home that way? But as she approached him to help him up, he got up just fine—although, with a look of distress as he uttered Yamato's name, and eventually, Sora's.

Hikari knew, as well as Taichi, that the others must have been dealing with the same thing they were; however, she had to wonder if Taichi was like her when it came to asking Takeru. Maybe Taichi was just as afraid of talking to everyone else, if not, even more than she was.

All she could do was curl up against him now, her head resting just above his shoulder. As his arms encased her, she felt a little more at ease, especially seeing he wasn't imprisoned before her.

"I'm afraid of falling asleep, Tai," she said, keeping her eyes open and looking onto the lamp shade.

"Don't be, Kari," he said. "I'll stay with you as long as you need me to."

"But, you have work tomorrow. You can't just not go."

"I'll call out. They'll understand."

"You can't do that, Tai…"

"I'm not going to leave you alone, Kari. Not like this. You need me right now—"

"I wish I didn't!" she yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks again, and Taichi looked at her, taken aback. "Why do you have to keep saving me, Tai?"

"Kari…"

She closed her eyes, her hands clinging at his shirt. "Why is it so dark… all the time…"

" _Kari!"_

The same, mirthless laughter rang in her ears as a new face appeared before her; furry and white, with her purple-tipped ears up and alert, and her bright blue eyes wide with terror. She held out her yellow-gloved paws, reaching out to her as she was rapidly being pulled away, only revealing the face of a devil, his soulless eyes matching his sharp fangs bared as he cackled and went straight for her—

" _No…No!"_

Hikari gasped and opened her eyes, still holding onto Taichi.

"Kari—" she heard Taichi said as breathed. "Kari, it's okay—"

It terrified her, having only closed her eyes for just a few moments.

"Kari, say something! Kari…"

"Daemon…" she said in a low quiver, sitting up in front of him again as she tried to regain composure. "You know that name, don't you?"

Taichi froze, as though he knew it. But he still stared at her.

"Daemon…?"

"I think that's his name, Tai. The monster in my nightmares. In yours, too. He did something… He took something from me…"

"What did he take?"

"I…I don't know…"

She saw him continue to watch her, as though he waited for her to figure it out. As though her answer would help him answer questions he had of his own.

"I…" she closed her eyes, rubbing her neck again, but opened her eyes just as quickly as distorted images flashed before her. "I'm sorry, Tai. I really don't know."

Taichi's shoulders lowered, his face still with grave concern.

"You should get some rest, now, Kari," he said, running his hand on her hair. "I'll keep the light on. I'll stay with you for as long as it takes."

Hikari's eyes watered.

"Every time I close my eyes, Tai…"

"Maybe you just need to relax for now. You always seem to be okay when you read. Let's try that."

He gave her the glass of milk, in which she took a few sips. The warmth of it as it moved down her throat did provide some comfort.

And when she took the book on top of the stack, Taichi moved to lay next to her, on the side away from the bedside table for her to be closest to it. She lay back, propped up on her pillow, reading for a few minutes before she noticed Taichi already laying still, his breathing low and steady.

Hikari continued to read through a couple of chapters, letting herself get entranced in the story of a group of adventurers searching for their treasure that was stolen from them after a night of fun. She realized, as she turned the last pages of the book, she had calmed down enough to yawn a few times.

Her eyelids drooped just as the gang of characters rushed into the main point of the map, about to face the infamous culprit. She set the book back onto the bedside table, and, as the sight of the brightly glowing lamp dimmed as her eyelids lowered, Hikari yearned to find out what these dreams meant, and what exactly had been taken from her.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 **Author Note** : To answer a review from last chapter – The other 02 kids will not appear in this story, or at least will not be a major focus.  
I've been working on how to structure the next part of the story, so this might take a while (I know-I said that last week..) but I can't wait to share. Thank you for reading up until this point! Much love! [insert hugs and kisses]


	11. Restoration I:Taichi:Koushiro

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 11**

 **System .Restoration. 1.0**

 **-Taichi-**

 **-Koushiro-**

* * *

 _Riiiiiing._

Koushiro's eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times, feeling a soreness in his eyelids with each blink, his head aching. Turning his head slightly, he acknowledged the toilet seat his cheek rested against, the garble of something in the bowl, realizing he fell out of consciousness after wretching into it.

Koushiro lifted his hand to feel for the lever to push down and hear the water whirl. He had no idea how he got there, or how long time passed. He tried to recount the events occurring that led him to staring at the now swirling water. He remembered listening to Yamato chat about the astronomy book he had been reading. He remembered trying grasp the ideas, but felt a sharp pain at his head. Before Yamato questioned him, Mimi arrived with their fresh serving of alcohol, which Koushiro eagerly consumed.

He remembered Mimi react in surprise and amusement at how he drank with ease. He remembered Yamato showing concern, but then rubbed his neck and grew silent.

His memory began to fade at Mimi's smile at the pub. Before it went to black, he remembered him shouting for her, her gloved hand in his reach. Fear in her tearful eyes, she slowly let go of his hand, turning to the monster that knocked her unconscious. The monster appeared before him in a flash before he could even blink. He felt a rush of cold before the darkness fell, and-

Koushiro threw his head into the toilet bowl, his hand still holding the lever as he coughed out more of his sick.

 _Riiiiiing. Riiiiiing._ His stomach churned when he brought his head up again, this time, noticing his phone vibrating on the tiled floor within arm's reach. From where he squinted, he choked back his vomit as he read the name on the screen. Hoping his sickly condition would approve with deep breaths, he took hold of his phone, hitting the answer button, curious to hear what the voice on the other end had to say.

"It's about time you answered, Izzy," came the impatient voice.

"Mimi…" Koushiro said, still catching his breath. "How did you get this number?"

"Don't be an idiot. You gave it to me last night. You must have forgotten, what with all that disgusting stuff you and Matt were drinking."

"Why…" he heaved, trying to hold it back. "...Why are you calling me? It's so early-in the morn-"

Koushiro dropped the phone down to his side, throwing his head back into the toilet. Oh, how embarrassing. He tried his best to keep it down, especially with her having to listen to it. He should have told her he'd call back, or just hang up altogether.

When he caught his breath a few moments later, he heard her voice loud through the speaker, stammering as she called his name.

"...I'm sorry, Mimi," he said as soon as he brought the phone back to his ear, helplessly resting against the seat once again.

"Izzy...are you okay?" she asked, now with concern. "Do you want me to come over?"

"Don't worry about me."

Koushiro heard Mimi scoff suddenly. "It was just a question. It's not like I was worried, or anything!"

Her change in attitude confused him, but it was something he figured it should be one of the last things he should be dealing with.

"What do you want from me?" He threw her a shifted tone in return. But, Mimi remained silent to him for a few moments.

"The dreams, Izzy," she replied, her voice softer and more fragile. "You talked about them with Matt last night."

Silence.

She went on. "They don't seem like dreams anymore... I'm afraid, Izzy."

Koushiro slowly sat up. The girl on stage every other night had the aura of confidence, her smile emitting the impression of a lavish life that any normal human being would envy. But the girl he remembered at camp, in the so-called dreams - picturing her wearing a fearful look on the other end was much more believable to him.

"I am, too, Mimi," he replied then, his voice just as soft.

Silence continued between them. The rushing water in the toilet stopped. The nausea calmed behind his throat. The longer she didn't talk, the more concerned he grew.

"…Do you want _me_ to come over?" he asked.

"Mm-mm. You sound like you're having trouble on your own…"

She responded a matter-of-factly, but without sounding condescending as he imagined she would be, though, it was kinder in tone.

"I probably wouldn't be of any help anyway," he replied, adding a nervous laugh.

"Probably not. Just...stay on the phone with me, okay?"

Koushiro gradually picked himself up off the bathroom floor, his phone still against his ear as Mimi started rambling about the gaps of the evening to fill for him. She fretted how Yamato suddenly left their table without a word, and how Sora stopped being so responsive.

She went on to talk about cacti being low maintenance, contrary to how Koushiro knew how she herself tended to be. He plopped onto his bed, bending his leg with his knee up, chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" she asked suddenly, and he realized he drifted into his own thoughts.

"I suppose you would be offended if I told you," he said. "So, I probably should refrain from mentioning it."

"...Well, then." Mimi sighed. "I guess you've still got alcohol in you. My goodness, the amount you and Matt ended up drinking. I'm surprised you haven't gotten infected or something."

"Infected?" he asked.

"You know. Like a stomach infection. Or poison. There's so much harm alcohol can do to your body, I can't believe anyone can even drink that kind of thing."

She went on, going into the topic of her irritation at the pub's manager, followed by each musician that left her. The longer she talked, however, the more her voice waned.

' _Infected,' huh…_

Koushiro heard her voice interrupted by her yawning as he himself drifted into slumber, though the word remained imprinted in his mind.

* * *

The sound of Taichi's alarm beeped in room the next morning as it usually did, just as the light of the sun crept up into the sky, his room glowing from it. It was normal every morning for Taichi to lift his hand from where he lay, drifting it toward the clock on his bedside to turn it off. He would drag himself out of bed, slog his feet toward the bathroom to brush his teeth and dress into his formal work wear, then top it off with throwing some mousse into his hair.

This morning, however, he sat against the wall of his bed as his palm pressed against the clock's button, already dressed for the day. He made sure Hikari was sound asleep and that he left her light on when he went back to his room, but he couldn't calm himself to go back to sleep. It surprised him that he even fell asleep at all.

It must have been his relief from helping Hikari calm down after that nightmare—that same nightmare that he had woken up from, just as he heard her scream. It must have been enough to help him calm down, too, if only for a few moments. He didn't ask her what happened this time, and he just held her; he hardly ever asked anymore, because he already knew where this nightmare took place, and when.

But, Hikari, for whatever reason, just seemed to know more.

Taichi got up and dragged himself to the bathroom to splash water on his face, which he had already done a few times earlier. He already knew as he stared at himself in the mirror, the slight redness at the outer corners of his eyes, the dark circles underneath—they weren't going to disappear no matter how many times the water made contact.

Perhaps an early morning walk through the park would help him clear his head before going into work, he decided after wetting his face for the umpteenth time. He stood up straight, fixing up his tie, and adjusting his collar. Then, he passed by Hikari's room, her light still on, and her body laying peacefully still. The sun only rose higher, brightening the apartment even more, which Taichi knew was enough for Hikari to be okay on her own for the day.

As he reached the front door, he put his dress shoes on, then his trench coat, when he heard a noise—a loud purring sound. He turned to see their third resident appear from the slight crack of Hikari's opened door, approaching him for food.

Taichi sighed, crouching down to scratch her dark grey fur on her head. "Only showing up when you want something, huh?"

The cat closed her eyes, meowing loudly.

"Shi-chan?" Hikari called drowsily, opening her bedroom door wider and walking over to Taichi and their Russian Blue, which Hikari named "Tenshi". Taichi watched the cat continue to whine even when being cradled in her arms. "It'll be you and me again today, little one."

Tenshi probably hid as she usually did, Taichi presumed, during Hikari's moments of panic, and didn't appear until she felt it was safe to come out - usually, she was hungry by then. Hikari patted Tenshi's head and gave her a kiss, which quieted the cat if only for a moment. As Hikari glided into the kitchen, looking tired but relaxed, Taichi wished that Tenshi was around hours before to have Hikari seem as tranquil as they usually were when they were together.

"I'll be home as soon as I get off work," Taichi told her. "Promise me you won't go out on your own again."

"Try not to worry about me too much today, Tai," Hikari replied, pouring Tenshi's food into a bowl on the tiles.

Taichi walked out of the apartment with his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, knowing that either of them were too stubborn to fulfill the other's wishes. No matter how many times he told her to stay in, he always came back to an empty apartment after work, then hustled through town to find out where she wandered off to. It even got to the point where he just stopped going home first, and straight to where he knew she would be.

On the other hand, Taichi could never avoid worrying about Hikari. Not when she had her bouts of illness. Not when he had to rush to her aid yesterday from her fainting episode at Jou's book shop. Not when she woke up in shambles last night from…

Daemon… he couldn't stop thinking about that name. Hikari mentioned it for the first time since they started having these nightmares. He could only link it to the face of that monster, which was the clearest it had ever been. Taichi felt a strong emotion rise in him, seeing the intense image—those clear eyes of a demon, those large gaping fangs that bore a merciless laugh.

It angered Taichi, seeing Daemon hurt his friends, one by one…But what angered him the most was knowing he would have been just as worthless if his arms were free from those shackles he was in from the start. What strength did he even have against that kind of monstrous beast, anyway? The images playing in his head never showed how he got there, but how weak did he have to be to end up in those chains?

A melodic beep echoed on the intersection, signaling him to walk. It took him a few minutes for the monster's image to disintegrate into a distorted blank for him to realize he was rubbing the back of his neck as he walked across the street along with the crowd.

"Oh—excuse me," he said, suddenly bumping into someone as he stepped onto the curb. It was a terrible habit of his, walking along while lost in thought, bumping into people, just like he did to Koushiro the other day. The person he bumped into - Tai could only note the dark, hooded jacket they wore - paid no mind, and continued slinking through the streets with the rest of the crowd.

For some reason, Tai continued to massage his neck, trying to rid the odd, cold sensation. He couldn't help but remember feigning ignorance seeing the others do it. Takeru at the book shop. Yamato at the other end of the bar, and then Hikari-

 _Bump._

 _Again, Taichi?_ he thought to himself, but took pause when he looked up, realizing who he bumped into this time. She stopped, her flame-colored hair fallen over her face, revealing her eyes with the same frightened stare from their last encounter.

"Sora…" Taichi exhaled in surprise.

* * *

 _Infected._

Koushiro's eyes opened once again, this time, viewing the ceiling of his bedroom, lightened by the morning sun. He turned his head to his side, where his arm lay sprawled on his side on his bed, his phone fallen out of his hand. Mimi's voice echoed in his mind, that word never leaving him. Instinctively, he kicked out of bed, walking over to the table nearby, expecting his hands to fall on top of a large, flat, yellow and white gadget to unfold to search for-

His laptop from middle school - the one that disappeared after camp. Why did he think he had it now?

A jolt of pain reached the back of his neck, causing him to rub it, but he couldn't let this go. _'Infected'_... _Why_ couldn't he let this go? That cold feeling on his neck, the cold, hard thing that the monster forced against him before the darkness… the same one that he saw pushed onto Mimi for her to lose consciousness, and before seeing Sora fall to the floor. He cringed at the feeling, remembering his wide-eyed terror as he faced the boy in chains before him, who shouted at the monster angrily, begging him to stop, and even yelled that very word Koushiro couldn't let go of...

Koushiro stood up straighter, letting his hand slowly slip down from his neck. With this new realization, he threw off his shirt and slacks he still wore from the night before and quickly jumped into a pair of jeans and pulled a clean shirt over his head, throwing on a jacket before running out the door.

He had to find Taichi.

* * *

Taichi gasped suddenly, grabbing the side of his head that suddenly ached, Sora disappearing before him. Distorted moments played in his head - a moment flashed of the two of them walking through the forest - two shorter beings followed behind them, not human but familiar to him - they laughed together, her bright smile meeting her eyes, but that smile disappeared as soon as they heard a loud boom - followed by the sound of her panicked voice as his consciousness faded-

As the images disappeared, Taichi took deep breaths, finding his hand still holding his head, the other holding onto a concrete wall to keep himself from falling over. He noticed passersby had begun to gather around them, and that Sora had collapsed to her knees, her palms against the ground for her own support. Taichi leapt to her side, reaching for her hand-

"Stay away from me, Tai," she implored with immediate recoil, the same panic in her voice. Taichi stepped back, and onlookers looked on cautiously as she slowly stood up on her own, clearly wanting no help from anyone.

"But, Sora-"

"Forget it. Don't bother."

The troubled expression she wore as she turned and walked away unsettled him. It urged him to try to follow her, and ask her what she remembered about summer camp, why he kept seeing her in these images, and why she might have been seeing him, too.

But as Taichi watched her disappear into a sea of pedestrians, he couldn't bring himself to call after her. A thought occurred to him then, that maybe she knew what happened after all, and she resented him for it. Maybe she was right in saying he was just as weak as everyone else.

Maybe that's what these images, dreams, whatever - he grew tired of figuring out - were telling him. Sometimes dreams had hidden meanings, messages meant to be decrypted by the receiver. However, Taichi walked on, avoiding any further attention, and was relieved to finally reach the local park. There was less foot traffic there, and he knew he would have a chance to wash over his thoughts with some fresh air.

Only he couldn't take a few steps without noticing he was being watched from a few yards away. He turned his head to meet a bright blue gaze, emotionless but intimidating. Yamato stood in his jeans and leather jacket, his attention away from his Shiba Inu, although, it was staring at Taichi, too.

Yamato. Summer camp. Dreams. It all felt too surreal to be running into everyone from that snapshot of the past like this, and Taichi's instincts told him to hurry out of the park and toward the train station. For the first time, he looked forward to going into work, not caring about the mundane duty of button-pushing all day long. He would continue to ignore Jensen and his boss encouraging him to aim higher, whether he felt it wasn't worthwhile, or he just didn't think he had the makings of a leader.

It was enough for him to keep his mind from everything else, and it made him feel as though everything was nothing but ordinary. Forget about wanting something more…

That was what he ultimately decided as he approached the station, seeing less green from the park and more people going this way and that. But that was when he also heard a voice calling his name.

Taichi stopped and looked around, only finding people walking in different directions, some running past, paying no mind to him. It was a soft voice, sounding nearby but he couldn't make out where it stemmed from-

"Tai?"

He turned again, this time meeting face to face with Koushiro.

 _Another one from camp._

"Ah - Hey, Izzy…" Taichi wasn't sure how to react, however Koushiro's face was much friendlier, but he did appear troubled, almost as troubled as...

"Tai, I think we need to talk," said Koushiro, and Taichi noticed that he looked as though he got an equal amount of sleep as he did.

Still, he hesitated. "Now's not a good time. I really need to get to work soon-"

Taichi paused as he heard it again - that soft voice louder, and closer. He knew it couldn't have been Koushiro, who he now turned away from.

"Tai, _wait-_ "

"Really, Izzy, maybe we should talk later-"

It was just as Taichi noticed a clearing in the crowds of people going different directions when he zeroed in on who was calling to him - or rather, _what_ \- its small, round body only bearing a face with large eyes, happily bouncing up and down with its long, crooked ears flattened over and behind its head.

"Tai!" it called.

 _Was anyone else seeing this?_

"What in the…" came Koushiro's voice behind him, his eyes wide in shock. He saw it, too. Passersby seemed to continue along, as though this was normal, but Taichi shared confused glances with him.

"Whee! Izzy's here, too?! Wait until Motimon hears about this!"

The creature laughed, and Taichi continued to stare, starting to wonder why it started to seem familiar to him...

"I should go back and tell him!" it exclaimed, and then its bouncing began to head away from Taichi and Koushiro.

Taichi couldn't let it leave.

"Hey, you - wait!" Taichi called out, starting to run forward.

"Tai!" Koushiro shouted from behind.

The frolicking creature proved hard for Taichi to follow as it jumped through the crowd with ease. Taichi weaved through people rushing along his opposite direction, the gap between him and the creature getting bigger as dodged out of everyone's way.

It floated past the turnstile, causing Taichi and Koushiro to halt abruptly at them. Taichi frantically dug into his coat pockets for his train pass, pausing as his hand came across something odd. Holding it in his hand, he pulled out and furrowed his brows at a small, blue electronic device, with three buttons around what looked like a screen.

"It's getting on the train!" Koushiro yelled in a panic, pointing at the long-eared creature heading that direction with jubilance. Taichi dug into another pocket and luckily grabbed hold of his pass, and slid it onto the turnstile to rush through. He broke into a run, and knew Koushiro followed right behind him.

The creature stopped in front of the train doors, which opened for it and prompted it to hop on. If they didn't hurry, the doors would close and and bar Taichi from getting any answers for the questions racing evermore in his mind.

Taichi sprinted faster. The overhead speakers let out a beep, prompting the doors to close by the time they reached the front. The creature met eyes with Taichi, a huge grin spreading across its face.

"Let's go together!" it yelled with glee, and Taichi jumped through the train doors with Koushiro behind him, his heart racing as the device enclosed tightly in his hand glowed, and the passengers, the seats, the poles, and the windows of the train disappeared from his view, leaving only a sea of white.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 **Author's Note:** These chapters are just getting longer, huh? I'm going to try to make the next few just as long. :) Still figuring out the ongoing structure, so you may continue to see the POV combos.

I'm going to edit the format of the chapter title once this "Restoration" part of the story is complete.

**Tenshi, the name of Kari's cat, translates to "angel" in Japanese.

I keep saying this, but there will most likely be a delay next week in the next chapter because of Thanksgiving.

Thanks for following along and reading! I'm thankful for you =) Happy Thanksgiving!


	12. Restoration II:Yamato:Jou:Taichi

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 12**

 **System .Restoration. 2.0**

 **-Yamato-**

 **-Jou-**

 **-Taichi-**

* * *

Yamato's migraine refused to go away.

He rubbed his fingers against his temples as he sat on a park bench that morning. The strongest aspirin he took did nothing to relieve the pain.

He heard a whimper at his side. When he looked down, he found his Shiba Inu, Hibiki, watching him with curiosity. How grateful he was for her to make the slightest sound to get his attention, rather than bark loudly to worsen his migraine. Hibiki was smart, maybe even smarter than he was - which was what Yamato thought as he ruffled the top of her head.

This couldn't have been a hangover. All that whiskey he consumed wasn't more than he usually did, even with the minor difference of hanging out with Koushiro and Mimi then. From the time he took a seat with Koushiro, and then when Mimi joined them later, sharing his ideas and opinions while they listened, and the jokes and laughter between them - it was rare for him, but it definitely felt like being back at camp. It gave him a wistful feeling, something he didn't realize he ached for until he experienced it.

It also sickened him, the more he realized it. He wondered if that was when his migraine began then, along with the nausea returning to taunt him. He left the table, appalled that he was almost persuaded to believe that he needed something as trivial as friendship.

The migraine stayed even as he arrived home in the later evening, with the addition of memories of the night blurring with scattered fragments of those so-called dreams in his head. The lights were off, which told him Takeru must have been asleep by then. He took two aspirin pills before closing his eyes, but when they closed, it only brought him back to that cave. He had been trying to run, only to be thrown off his feet from a blast. His arms flew around a younger Takeru, as well as a girl about Takeru's age, who he remembered as Hikari. Half of the group had already been knocked down, and he couldn't lift his legs. Takeru yelled for him to watch out, but the cold shock hit Yamato's neck before he could even turn-

He woke up gasping for air, sitting up with cold sweat dripping down the sides of his face, the migraine not as heavy, but the back of his neck cold and numb. He picked up his phone to check the time - barely half an hour after he fell asleep, yet he was wide awake. Thinking he needed more aspirin, he headed toward the bathroom to take some more, only to find the light already on through the half open door, the sight of Hibiki's wagging tail, and the sound of whimpering, but it didn't belong to her.

"Takeru?" he called.

Hibiki sat next to Takeru, who had fallen into a fetal position next to the sink, covering his ears and his teary eyes shut tight, muttering a name through his whimpers.

"Takeru!" Yamato dropped to the floor beside him. Takeru looked just as frightened as he did in those dreams.

Takeru heard his brother's call, and opened his frightened eyes with a gasp.

"Where's Patamon?!" he cried. "I have to find Patamon!"

"He's not here, Takeru," Yamato told him urgently, though he spoke quietly to try to calm him down. The name sounded familiar to Yamato, but he couldn't place a finger on how.

"I watched him disappear… he left me…"

Yamato pulled his younger brother into his arms. Even with his aching head, he despised seeing Takeru in pain.

"We'll find Patamon, Takeru," Yamato said, purely on instinct, and no proof laid out in front of him. Maybe it was like a mathematical formula to him -something that started out with a jumble of numbers and letters that made no sense at the start, but it was something he could think out along the way, until the answer appeared before him just as he reached the end.

Whatever happened, Yamato had a feeling the answers would appear before him. Just like one of a memory he had, with a younger Takeru bawling under his green cap. There was another with them, a dog - no, a wolf? - donned in fur with stripes of blue covering a yellow body, with a horn just above its eyes.

 _"Whatever happens, we'll always find our way back to you," it said._

 _"What do you mean?" Yamato heard himself ask._

"We'll find him," Yamato told Takeru, feeling more melancholy than before. "We'll find them."

The brothers took to the couch to fall asleep, each of them taking the ends. When Yamato was certain Takeru had fallen asleep, he drifted off to sleep shortly after.

The next time Yamato woke up, he heard a sound in the kitchen. He felt the weight of Hibiki resting on his stomach. The smell of coffee reached his nose, and he noticed Takeru dawdling around. Yamato motioned Hibiki to get off of him, then walked over to Takeru in the kitchen.

"A girl stopped by earlier," Takeru said. "She looked familiar; her hair was reddish. She didn't look like she wanted to talk to me, but she asked for you."

Sora. Yamato had a feeling something happened to her, too, and he began to wonder how she was feeling.

"Wasn't she the girl you had a crush on at summer camp?" Takeru asked.

Yamato didn't answer, but he stared daggers. Takeru let out a small laugh, but Yamato noticed a sadness on his face. He poured coffee into a mug for Yamato and for himself, and together, they sipped in silence together at the dining table. They were similar in how they took their coffee - no cream to lighten the color, no sugar to improve the taste - just the straight, true bitterness of how its meant to be.

"I'm going to work today," said Takeru, and Yamato shot him a glance.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"Sure I am." Takeru's voice didn't match the expression on his face.

"You don't look like it."

"Well, someone's gotta take care of the store. I told you how Kido-san tends to be."

"Takeru." Yamato says this with a disapproving tone, but Takeru frowned at him.

"Please understand, Matt. I can't not go. I'd rather be at the store than in my own head right now. I can't let Daemon win."

Yamato sat up.

"Daemon…?"

"By the way, you really should visit one day. Those astronomy books you like never get looked at."

They continued to sit together in silence until they emptied their mugs. Takeru got up from the table, disappeared into his room to get dressed, then walked out the door without another word. All the while, Yamato couldn't let go of that name. As he watched Takeru leave with his hand rubbing his neck, Yamato realized he was doing the same thing.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Jou didn't rush out of his house in the morning. He woke up twenty minutes past his alarm, but he couldn't bring himself to get out of bed, even then. He always made his coffee differently every morning, but after he finally rolled out of bed, it took him the whole of getting dressed for the day to realize he turned the brewer on without adding any water.

He only had one drink the night before. He enjoyed himself getting to know Taichi's friends, even though Taichi didn't even show up. He also enjoyed chatting with Mimi and Sora for a while, at least, until the mood changed. It seemed to happen after Taichi's friends left the pub. He had been certain that he wanted to order another drink, but at that point, he had forgotten, and ultimately decided to leave when he couldn't decide on his next drink, anyway. The bartender stopped talking to him as well, and he didn't want to trouble her with his indecision.

Instead of turning left from his house toward the train station, he found himself turning right. There were dreams he'd been having the past couple nights, dreams he chose to ignore every time. But the dream he woke up from in the middle of the night was one he couldn't erase from his mind.

He couldn't understand any of it. Why were all of his dreams about summer camp? Why did they have the same seven others with him? Why was he being followed around by what looked like a sea creature, who appeared in different forms?

Why were there monsters? Why were they all attacked? And…

Why couldn't he do anything about it?

He heard a scream, suddenly. He stopped walking and blinked, noticing his hand was on his neck. When he looked around, he realized the scream was from a child at the playground he stood in front of, lined by a wooden fence. There were no injuries, no foul play - just children playing together and having fun.

He knew he wasn't supposed to be there, but he turned the opposite direction for a reason. He was torn between staying just for the hope of an encounter, or just turning back to head straight to work.

As he stood there, letting the internal debate hurt his head, he felt a tug at the bottom of his jacket. When he looked down, he saw a young girl - she must have been four years old by now - staring with curiosity, her dark blue hair in pigtails, and her soft, dark eyes bright as she looked up at him.

Her blue hair, her dark eyes… they were just like his.

"Mizu-chan!" came a stern voice. Jou looked up to see a young woman hurry to her daughter, looking harried with her straight black hair and golden eyes. His heart suddenly beat faster. "What did I tell you about running off from mommy?"

She was still beautiful as ever.

"Daddy…" Mizu-chan said, pointing up to Jou. "Isn't that Daddy?"

The young woman's golden eyes flashed in anger at him. "You've got it all wrong, Mizu-chan. It can never be him."

The girl frowned. "But, Mommy…"

"Let's go, sweetheart. I need to get you to school."

The mother pulled the young girl's arm as they walked away, although the girl kept her head turned to Jou.

He couldn't utter a word. He couldn't do a thing to help his cause. He stood there the whole time, frozen in hesitation, helpless from saving the love of his life, from saving his marriage, from saving his family…

From saving his friends… watching them all fall in front of him, one by one. Even as he jumped to cover Yamato and the others, he was already too late. He got caught in the monster's trap, the coldness reaching his neck-

Jou wanted to scream. Scream in frustration for being so useless, for being someone no one could ever depend on.

Sighing, he looked at his watch. He was incredibly late to open the bookstore already, but it was the only thing he had left. He turned around to head the direction he came from, and hoped he would make it in enough time before he would lose Takeru and the bookstore, too.

* * *

When Yamato convinced himself that the pain of his migraine went down, he decided to get up so to walk with Hibiki some more. He decided that he had to get through the day this way, regardless of how bad the pain was, even if he had to deal with it at work.

He realized then he shouldn't have been so harsh with Takeru before he went to his own job. He wondered how Takeru was faring then, and if he was doing okay-

Hibiki barked, drawing Yamato's attention away from his thoughts. It was Taichi, wearing a coat over his business suit, who looked surprised at seeing him there, although Yamato felt the same way.

Yamato felt a sharp pain the longer he wondered about Taichi. It annoyed him to see Taichi appear as though he wanted to make conversation, but it infuriated him when Taichi rushed on ahead from him. Taichi knew something, and Yamato was sure of it. As much as Yamato reviled the thought of potential chatter, he wanted Taichi to at least speak his mind, no matter how much Yamato would disagree.

"Tch," said Yamato. He decided to walk the other direction, with Hibiki running ahead to lead the way. They walked together for a few moments, Yamato spacing out and swimming in his own thoughts. It was when his feet nearly trampled over Hibiki when he realized they had veered off from the dirt footpath and onto the grassy lawn, where Hibiki had stopped. Yamato noticed her pawing and gnawing her teeth at something.

"Hibiki!" he yelled, tugging at her leash. She was normally obedient with steering away from eating odd things on the ground, but there were some exceptions such as this.

The odd thing this time, as Yamato crouched down in front of her, was a small, blue device, something that she couldn't sink her teeth into.

"Don't eat that, Hibiki," he said, tearing it away from her teeth. "You'll choke."

Hibiki whimpered and lowered herself to the ground in dejection as Yamato stood up, surveying the mechanical gadget. He wasn't sure what it was, but it gave him a feeling of torment, much like how he felt at the pub the night before. Without any other question, he placed it into his pocket, and continued to walk outside the footpath, because he had a feeling that he would find his answers if he walked his own path, even if he didn't know where it would lead.

* * *

The next thing Taichi knew, he had fallen and landed on rugged, grassy terrain. His eyes were closed, but he knew that the tight space of the crowded train was gone, and so were the sounds of the train doors closing behind him. Quiet surrounded him, other than the rustling on something nearby along with the breeze brushing along his sides. He wanted to reach his hands out around him, but he realized that they were already placed on either side of something in front of him - something warm, furry, and squeaking his name.

When Taichi opened his eyes, he stared straight into the bright red eyes of the blob of a creature he helplessly chased after before.

"Taichi!" said the blob.

Taichi yelped, letting go of it. He jumped back, crawling backwards and staring at it in terror. The blob only laughed and bounced toward him.

"Silly Tai! This is exactly how we met the first time!"

"What the hell is going on...?" Taichi could barely utter his question. He trembled in fear, uncertain where he ended up, but somehow, he wondered if this wasn't his first time here.

"That's easy," answered the furry creature. "I hatched. I went looking for you. I found you. You found a way back to my world!"

"Your world?"

"Looks familiar, doesn't it?"

Taichi looked around, surveying the surrounding trees. It looked like an ordinary forest, but…

"Have I been here before?"

The blob looked at him earnestly. "Try to remember, Tai."

As Tai looked back at the creature, glimpses of memories began to form in his head. They were blurry and distorted, as though his brain was interrupted by odd glitches here and there. Some of the images matched the scenery surrounding him currently, and even the blobby creature in front of him showed up a few times. But as he forced his mind to keep going, even as his head throbbed, he saw himself facing large monstrous beings, sometimes running without any sort of plan - how the hell could he be so reckless?

"Don't push yourself too hard," said the creature next to him with worry. Tai was gasping breaths as he held his head that was in pain. The fragmented images he pushed himself to remember showed the exact opposite of what he felt then, which was nothing but fear.

"What's happening to me?" Tai asked, fighting back tears from his terror as he panted, but the tears fell against the soil he crouched over.

"You've been infected, Tai," replied the creature. "All of you have. He tried to take everything away from you. Even your memories."

Taichi calmed, remembered Hikari uttering his name.

"Daemon?" Tai whispered.

"You're remembering more than we hoped."

Taichi looked to the ground again, his memories, his anger.. his fear… all coming back to him the moment he heard that name.

"Don't be afraid, Tai." The creature was by his side again, though appearing calmer. "You're stronger than you believe you are. We're going to figure this out together. I'm your friend, remember?"

Taichi felt a strange buzz in his coat pocket. When he took out the blue device, it was glowing again, and he wondered how it ever reached him. He didn't remember ever having it, not in the world he lived in, but in his distorted memories…

As the device glowed, so did the creature in front of him, its round silhouette growing into the shape of a reptilian creature, with orange scaly skin and its green eyes, still staring at him with concern.

"Tai?" he said in a deeper voice, but Taichi could tell he was no different from the blob he evolved from.

"I'm fine," Taichi said. "I'm okay, at least... I think I will be. I really need to figure this out."

Taichi stared at the larger creature before him, knowing he never mentioned his name at all since they first crossed paths, but the name had been swimming in his head all along.

"I have a feeling I will be okay," Taichi continued. "As long as I have you by my side…Agumon."

Tears formed in Agumon's eyes as Taichi wrapped his arms around him to hold him tightly against his chest.

"That's right, Tai," said Agumon. "Welcome back."

* * *

.

.

.

.

 **Author's Note:** This fic was nagging me for an update, so I release this to you***

"Hibiki", the name of Yamato's dog, is Japanese for "sound, echo".

"Mizu", the name of Jou's daughter, means "water".

When I listened to "In My Blood" by Shawn Mendes, it reminded me so much of what I have in mind as Takeru/TK in this fic. I think the lyrics echo some meaning for everyone else, too, based on what they're all going through, but TK especially. For Sora, I got "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys. I think it would be cool if I happened upon other songs for the other kids. Then, I can just throw more hints at you in future Notes ;)

 ***plug alert***

While you wait for updates, if you need another slow fic w/ eventual adventure (and some romance), why not give "Chasing the Sun" a gander?

And if you need some more Taiora in your cup, go have a looksie at my other stories :)

Thanks for reading! Much love xx


	13. Restoration III:Koushiro:Takeru

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 13**

 **System .Restoration. 3.0**

 **-Koushiro-**

 **-Takeru-**

* * *

When Koushiro woke up after knocking out from the blinding light in the train, he found an odd, small, pink being next to him, its round dark eyes blinking at him with wonder.

Koushiro sat up, staring back at the creature in front of him. It was slightly pinker than the one he and Taichi went after, except it had no ears - only arms and a small body with a rounded top for its head.

"Izzy, you are scaring me," said the creature. Koushiro couldn't help but stare, with the thoughts in his mind jumbling and bouncing all over the place. Somehow, he _knew_ this creature, and he was trying to make the connection on how. "Perhaps you need time to collect yourself."

The creature walked away, which alerted Koushiro to follow it. He couldn't let it out of his sight. But, the creature wouldn't stop moving. Koushiro trekked silently behind the creature for a long time, going past a few trees, turning a new direction around a large rock, walking under a large, leafy tree stump that Koushiro had to crouch under to get through. Koushiro walked and walked, until the creature stopped and turned to him with a grimace.

"Izzy!" it said. "Don't you realize we've been going around in circles for a while now?"

"Oh," said Koushiro, not recognizing this at all.

"Hmm." The creature put his hand up to the side of his mouth, as though contemplating. "Jensen said to be patience with you."

"Jensen?"

The only Jensen that Koushiro knew of was Taichi's friend. The guy from the bar who, for some reason, liked to detach from Taichi's crew occasionally and saunter over to his table to talk about - what was it he liked to mention…?

"Do you remember how you got here?"

"I think I do, Motimon," Koushiro replied, trying to think back, but for some reason, he felt pain. "Taichi… that other creature… the train - "

"Izzy, you remembered my name."

Koushiro looked back at the creature, who stared back, agape. "Motimon?"

"Yes, that's right! Yay!"

As Motimon jumped in excitement, Koushiro still questioned how the name suddenly popped up in his head.

"Motimon? How did I - Ah -"

Koushiro grabbed the side of his head as the sharp stinging pain returned. He was trying to think back to why Motimon was so familiar.

"Izzy, you don't have to push yourself," Motimon said worriedly. "Take your time."

"Izzy!" came another voice. The worst of the pain subsided, but the aching remained. Koushiro looked up, his hand still on his head, seeing that Taichi had appeared, and a monster in a new form next to him.

"Taichi," he said. "Agumon."

"Good to see you again, Izzy!" said Agumon.

"Are you okay, Izzy?" Taichi asked, and Koushiro nodded quietly. "Do you know where we are?"

Koushiro nodded again.

"The Digital World."

Koushiro noticed Motimon exchanging glances with Agumon, and Taichi watched him cautiously.

"And… Agumon, and—" Taichi looked over to him, thinking at first, "—Motimon?"

"That's right!" Motimon replied.

"—The two of them, everyone's partners, and the beings in this world, they're…"

"Digimon - Digital Monsters," Koushiro replied, though still trying to figure out how he remembered.

"Let's take them to the others," Agumon told Motimon, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

Takeru normally arrived at the bookshop ten minutes before opening. He unlocked the door, turned the lights on, made sure the fish were floating about in their tank, counted the amounts in the register, and unfolded the wooden sign right outside the front door. In the twenty minutes before Kido-san stumbled in, he would greet the delivery man and carry in boxes full of new book shipments, and prepare inventory he knew he would be checking throughout the day. Like clockwork, he'd have all of that done and the boxes accounted for by the time he saw Kido-san appear in his running stop.

That morning, however, Takeru arrived thirty minutes past opening, and the door was still locked, the lights still turned off. No sight of Kido-san running along the street.

Takeru was terrified.

 _It'll be okay,_ he told himself, unlocking the door. _He's running late. Just like I was._

He had been the first person to arrive at the shop countless times, yet, stepping into the darkness of the shop alone made him anxious. He turned the lights on, but he started to wonder with each moment, whether Kido-san was actually going to show up.

 _He's never been this late._

The water tank was bubbling, but the fish were nowhere in sight. Takeru lightly tapped the glass, but he saw no other movement. _Even the fish left me alone,_ he thought. He then moved to the register to count the change. Each coin he dropped into the register synchronized with the clock ticking on the wall, and as the stack of coins dwindled from his hand, so did the hope that Kido-san would be there for him.

 _He must have found me out._

Takeru remembered the week after he graduated high school when he discovered his mother crying to his father. He entered the dark apartment, flipping the light switch, hearing the sounds of her gasps in the other room. As he walked down the dim hallway, he saw through the door cracked open, his mother with her face in her hands.

"What will you do about Takeru?" his father asked as he consoled her.

"I can't take this anymore," she said through her sobs.

It was all he needed to hear to understand. He gripped onto her love for the majority of his life. She would do anything he would ask. She spoiled him. Yamato pushed him to help her when she needed it, whether around the house or when he was old enough to work a part-time job. Takeru didn't. He just didn't think he could, and only depended on Yamato and his mother as though it was the only thing he knew how to do.

He didn't realize the effect on her until he heard her say those words. The smile she gave him for years, the affection she showed, all those times she said, "Everything will be alright" … None of it meant anything. He stepped back away from the door, as slowly as he felt his heart breaking.

None of it meant anything, and it was all his fault.

 _He found me out… it's all my fault._

Takeru turned away from the register, with his back facing the door. He couldn't take it anymore, eyeing the door that he expected no one else to walk through for the rest of the day. He crouched to the floor, folding his knees against them and hugging them as he buried his face into them.

 _Why did I let this happen again?_

Kido-san left him. Just like his mother did. Just like…

Tears reached his lids as he remembered his dream the night before. How pathetic he felt, crying like the child he felt he never grew out of being, searching for his dearest friend, only to be told that he drove that friend away.

" _Don't listen to him, TK!"_

Takeru lifted his head up, his watery eyes furrowed in confusion. There were always moments, voices like these that flashed into his mind, interrupting his despairing thoughts and distorted memories. Though fragmented, it made him want to question where all the torrential ocean of thoughts swimming in his head were coming from.

"TK?"

He looked up from where he sat behind the register, seeing Kido-san standing over him.

"Kido-san…" he said in slow surprise.

"Hey, kid…" Kido-san sighed, then bent down and took a seat next to Takeru. "I'm terribly sorry for being this late. It's been a rough morning."

"No kidding."

Takeru knew his eyes might have been swollen from his tears, but he noticed the glum look in Kido-san's stare toward the ground.

"I let you down, TK. I let everyone down."

"What? No… I thought…"

Takeru noticed he was still wearing his bucket hat over his head. Any other day, Kido-san would scold him to take it off.

"I… I don't know," said Kido-san, taking off his glasses and rubbing his face with his hand. "I'm just exhausted. I didn't sleep well."

"Did you have nightmares, too, Kido-san?" Takeru asked out of curiosity, but Kido-san gave him a look of wonder.

"Nightmares?"

"Recurring ones. I get them. They're always at summer camp." Takeru tilted his head a little. "I see you in them sometimes."

"You don't say."

Takeru's face fell, seeing that Kido-san didn't appear to have the reaction he expected.

"They're probably only nightmares though," Takeru said, deciding to shrug it off. "Nothing more."

"They can't be," Kido-san said suddenly, causing Takeru to look at him again. "They're real. Well... I know I don't want them to be. They just remind me of who I am and why I'm living the life I am right now. But, there are holes. Maybe, missing pieces, that make me want to question why. It's been freaking me out."

Takeru stared at him in awe.

"What is it, TK? Oh - I'm sorry, what am I saying?" Kido-san laughed nervously. "Takeru-kun. I normally call you Takeru - "

"Jou," said Takeru.

"What?" He stared at Takeru in confusion, but Takeru felt the urge to smile.

"Jou. I haven't called you that since camp. Just like you haven't called me TK since then."

"That's right. Since camp. Since…"

Takeru felt the mood darken again. He thought back to the nightmares, that always showed Yamato falling to the ground after protecting him and Hikari, and him crying his eyes out, sharing the fear with Hikari as they held each other close. Daemon let out his cold laugh, taunting Takeru for his own best friend leaving him behind...

"Maybe you should check on the fish?" Jou asked suddenly, and Takeru blinked. Jou had been watching him, but he was watching carefully, as though he recognized what he was feeling.

"I probably should." Takeru got up along with Jou behind him. He walked over to the fish tank that still showed no movement.

When Takeru tapped the flakes of fish food into the tank, the fish finally appeared, swimming into view.

"They've been waiting for you, TK," said Jou, standing beside him.

Takeru looked to him, and started to feel guilty for drowning himself in negative thoughts before Jou arrived.

"I should have relied on you more, Jou," Takeru said, knowing that he wouldn't understand, but somehow, it made Jou smile.

"I shouldn't have lost hope on you, TK," was Jou's response. Although it didn't make any sense to him, it certainly lifted his spirits a little bit.

Soon after, Takeru realized there were still boxes of book shipments in the back to look over. He went to the back, and as he opened the boxes and cleared out the books, he eyed glints of two strangely-shaped items on the floor. They looked identical in shape and color, but somehow, he knew they weren't the same.

Somehow, he knew one of them belonged to him, and the other belonged to Jou.

"Jou, I found something," Takeru called as he made his way to Jou who sat at his desk. He held the two gadgets in his palm, each with a screen with three buttons.

Jou took one of them from Takeru's palm - the one Takeru knew belonged to him, and surveyed it closely.

"When we close up shop today, I want to take you somewhere," Jou told him.

"I hope it's not a bar," Takeru said. "I'm afraid of what drinking might do to me."

Jou chuckled.

"It might answer some questions for you," Jou said. "For both of us."

* * *

As the two Digimon lead them down a path, Taichi walked side by side with Koushiro, though in silence. Koushiro watched Taichi, waiting for him to ask more questions, but he remained deep in thought, almost hesitant to tell him anything.

When Agumon and Motimon stopped, they stood before what looked like a large rocky hill, with no sign of an entryway. They looked around furtively, then motioned for Taichi and Koushiro to follow them.

"Just walk through it," Motimon said, and Agumon nodded. Koushiro looked to Taichi, who appeared as confused as he was, but they still did as they were told. Taichi went through first, and Koushiro followed.

The next thing he knew, Koushiro stepped into a large, round, cavernous room. The rock walls were lined with flamed torches, and a large campfire hissed and crackled in the middle. Taichi stood beside him, both of them looking around in wonder. Surrounding the campfire, Koushiro noticed other movement, and realized that there were other Digimon in the room with them.

"Izzy? Tai?!" A green, bulb-shaped Digimon rushed over to them, jumping in delight. "Oh, it _is_ you!"

"Long time no see, guys!" said a brown, dinosaur-like Digimon said, following behind.

Koushiro was surprised to see Tanemon and Bukamon appearing before them.

"I'm so happy to see you both!" said Yokomon, the pink bulb Digimon with blue petals on her head.

"No one is as happy as I am," Motimon said, standing at Koushiro's leg and nuzzling against it. Koushiro couldn't help but smile.

Tokomon crawled quickly behind, its white thin ears flowing behind him but his face frowning. "No fair, Agumon," he said. "I wanted to go with you to see TK!"

"Now, now, Toko," came Tsunomon's voice as the orange, furry blob with a large claw on his head emerged into their view. "Jensen told us to be patient."

His name was mentioned again.

"Jensen?" Taichi asked. He and Koushiro sat close to the fire then, the Digimon surrounding them.

"You know him," Agumon said. "He's been watching you this whole time."

"Hang on." Taichi looked at Agumon in disbelief. "He's been watching us? He's been here? He knows about this world?"

"He helped bring us back together, Tai. He and Nyla."

"...Nyla?"

Taichi was at a loss for words. Koushiro thought back to all those times, sitting at his table at the bar, observing Jensen and sometimes Nyla at Taichi's gatherings. Always talking happily, always laughing, chatting back and forth as a bunch of lively friends would. How did the two of them have any connection to the Digital World? He would have remembered them, but they didn't go to summer camp -

"He told us not to tell you guys too much, Tai," Agumon said. "Not yet, anyway."

"Where is he now?" Taichi asked.

"He took me back to your world with him. He said he had other tasks to accomplish, but he told me to wait for you at the station, and you showed up like he said you would!"

"How did we get here, then?" Koushiro asked then. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Jensen said you'd get your digivices in time, and that they'd transport you here, somehow," Motimon replied.

"You mean, this?" Taichi held up a small blue device that fit in the palm of his hand.

"But, I would've need to have one, too, right?" Koushiro asked in confusion. "I don't recall getting one."

"Me neither. Check your pockets, Izzy. That's where I found mine."

Koushiro put his hands in his jacket pockets, his hand immediately stopping at an odd shape he felt. Sturdy, mechanical, odd angles and ridges, fit in the palm of his hand…

When he took his hand out, he revealed a device that looked exactly like Taichi's. He stared at it, dumbfounded.

"How in the world…" he began. He tried to trace back the last time he checked his pockets. He had nothing in them at least before going into the bar last night.

"Hey, Izzy," said Motimon. Koushiro looked down to see him holding up a small, rectangular piece of paper. "This floated down from your pocket."

Koushiro picked it up, recognizing that it was a business card, and noticed Taichi leaning closer to read its lettering.

" _D.I.G.I. Cor_ \- That's where I work!" Taichi exclaimed with a gasp.

Koushiro put his palm to his forehead. His head didn't hurt, but he anticipated the pain when attempting to think back. The gap from last night's memories still remained, but he had a feeling, a strong feeling, that when Yamato left the table, someone took Yamato's seat to talk to him, the same person who always showed up to try to recruit him to join the company...

Suddenly, it all started making sense.

"Jensen gave that to me," Koushiro said in realization. "He came over to my table at the bar last night and dropped the card in my pocket. Could he have...?"

"Someone bumped into me this morning," Taichi added. "I didn't see his face, but I'm sure that's how I ended up with this thing. It _had_ to be Jensen's doing."

Koushiro looked down at Motimon, who was staring up at him in curiosity. It was as though Motimon was watching him and Taichi put their heads together, trying to piece their fragmented memories together. But then, he looked to Agumon, then to the other Digimon as they wore the same curious faces. The other Digimon, who had partners that he had no doubt needed to solve their own puzzles the same way.

"I'm sure these Digivices work the other way around," Koushiro said.

"What do you mean?" Taichi asked.

"We need to go back to our world. We need to find Jensen and Nyla. We need to get everyone else together. All these questions that have been in my head for so long, Tai… Perhaps we'll find the answers with everyone, together."

"I can't wait to see Sora again!" squealed Yokomon happily.

Koushiro waited for Taichi to answer, but he had turned away from Koushiro's stare, as though he was hesitating.

"Tai?" Agumon said, putting his hand on Taichi's coat. "We'll be here when you come back. We're going to figure this out together, remember?"

Taichi's face softened with a smile. "You're right."

It was then Koushiro realized how different Taichi was, the longer he observed him. The young male before him was not the upbeat, confident person he greatly admired since the days in summer camp. He didn't have the face of someone who would be the first to jump into action, and he was lost to find any sign of bravery.

He thought back to everyone's behavior at the bar last night, placing those memories next to the shoddy ones from summer camp, side-by-side…

"Before we go back, I need to ask something," Koushiro said, to all the Digimon. "Just what, exactly, did Daemon do to us?"

"I have a feeling you already know, Izzy," Motimon replied.

Suddenly Koushiro felt the Digivice in his hand shaking violently with a glow, and Motimon glowed in front of him, with Taichi and the other Digimon watching in amazement. He grew into a large, red insect with spots of gray, and gray claws on his legs.

"Tentomon!" Koushiro cried.

"Ah, I've missed this form," he said.

"It really is starting to get more familiar," said Taichi.

"Bring everyone back to the Digiworld," Agumon said. "Then, we'll explain everything."

"We should get going, then… But, how?"

"You have to pass through an entryway - any entryway," Tsunomon replied. "As long as you will to go, you'll be able to get back."

"Is that how we…" Koushiro started asking, thinking back to the train doors.

"Mm-hmm!" Agumon said. "And we Digimon can travel along with you. Trust Jensen and Nyla to make that happen!"

"Going through the rock wall entrance should work," Tokomon added. "Just bring back TK as soon as you can!"

"We will," said Taichi, and Koushiro noticed a little more confidence in his words. "Let's go then, Izzy."

Koushiro nodded, and soon he and Taichi walked back toward where they entered.

"I'll be back, Tentomon!" he shouted.

"I'll be waiting, Izzy!"

And as Taichi and Koushiro willed to go back to their world, they walked through the rock wall, and in a flash, they returned to the middle of the train station, in the midst of people walking in every direction surrounding them.

Koushiro and Taichi stared at each other, too shocked to say anything, too stunned to move.

"Taichi…" Koushiro said, after their long period of silence, though the shock never left him. "What do we do now?"

Taichi put his fingers to his chin, then snapped his fingers.

"The pub," he said, and Koushiro looked at him incredulously.

"What?! The bar? Right now?"

"No, Izzy. Not right now. Tonight. That's where we all should meet. I can track down my sister, Jou, and TK."

"And Matt, Sora, and Mimi would already be there, anyway," added Izzy.

"Right. Let's plan that. In the meantime…" Taichi took a deep breath. "I need to have a chat with Jensen and Nyla at work."

They looked at each other and nodded in agreement before they parted ways. As Taichi walked through train doors once more - this time, staying in the train - Koushiro thought back to each person from camp he would see tonight, and their respective Digimon partner, and started questioning how Hikari even got to the Digital World when she didn't start at camp with the rest of them. And then, as he picked up his phone to see who to call first, he wondered why, before he and Taichi left the Digital World, there were only seven Digimon in that cavernous room.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 **Author's Note:** Miss me?

Please note that the names featured at the title are the actual POVs, but I like working in other characters, too (i.e. I almost wanted to add Jou's name up there, too, because his part was just as important)

I appreciate you waiting for this update. I know it's been the longest I've gone between posting these chapters. This is what I get for juggling three fics at the same time, and all other fun things that life brings.

Thanks for reading! Thanks for the new follows and favs, the reviews. The clicks and the views. 'Til next time! ^.^


	14. Restoration IV:Mimi:Sora

**DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 14**

 **System .Restoration. 4.0**

 **-Mimi-**

 **-Sora-**

* * *

By the time Koushiro called her phone, Mimi stood in the middle of a busy street, her clothes wrinkled and dirty, her hair in a disheveled mess, her eyes streaming tears. She was alone, afraid, disoriented, but anyone who happened to notice her stared for a while, but kept on passing by her.

Her day made a complete one-eighty compared to how it started, when she left her house and decided to get her favorite coffee drink. In a cafe bakery in the middle of town, Mimi sat at a table alone, waiting for her drink order. It was at a table between the doors and the pastry counter, and any person passing by found themselves turning to stare at her. She wanted them to notice her, with her long, flowing wavy locks of brown hair falling past her shoulders, over her chic jacket and her scarf around her neck. She crossed her legs in her denim jeans, showing off her pastel pink heels, and she kept her glasses on.

"Caramel macchiato with almond milk, no whip and three extra pumps of caramel!" called the barista from the counter. She rose from her table, knowing that the loud clicks of her heels as she walked by, and her hair bouncing from her shoulders, turned more heads than she planned for. As she reached the counter, she looked up from the rims of her glasses, meeting the eyes of the barista who was in a stupor as he stared.

"Thank you, darling," she said with a wink and a smile, taking her macchiato, and turning toward the door. She was the Mimi that she wanted everyone to see - upbeat, cheerful, fashionable and lovable, someone worth admiring. But the further she walked away from the cafe, the more she was grateful that she hid her true feelings behind her sunglasses - her exhaustion, her insecurities.

She was lost.

With her drink in hand, she walked down the busy street in her strut, the crowd parting as she passed through, which she expected. She knew no one would notice how tired she was from her lack of sleep from the night before, from the moment she woke from the dream, the dream that she confided to Koushiro seemed frighteningly real. It was exactly as she dreamed it before, and exactly as Yamato had described it at the table the night before - the large, dark cave; the smiling, devil-like creature; the cold click on the side of her neck-

Mimi kept on walking, ignoring the tingling chill on her neck. The fluctuating headache she had ever since she left the bar slowly crept back, but she showed no reaction. She couldn't reveal herself then, not when she planned to be outside for only a short time this morning. Normally, she asked her parents to fulfill her requests, or forced whoever her musician was at the time to fetch whatever she wanted. Today, she had the urge to leave her comfortable bed, her bedroom at home decorated and tailored to her liking - surprising her mother and father as she walked out the door. What difference did it make if she stayed in, anyway? Regardless of whether she asked her father to go out for her, leaving her with pajamas on and hair unruly, or as she walked along now with her glamorous appearance and her beverage exactly the way she wanted - her feelings remained the same.

Finally, Mimi turned the corner to the street of the shop she wanted to visit. She kept her stride, although the sense of excitement grew as she walked toward the shop, knowing she would feel much more at ease the moment she walked in-

A gasp escaped her lips and she brought herself to a halt the moment she saw someone familiar on the street, standing close to the shop. Her dark jacket and jeans only brightened her flame-colored hair.

"Sora?" Mimi said, observing Sora's worn and tired expression, her hands in her jacket pockets as she stood there. Sora turned her head once she was called, but looked away just as quickly. Mimi stepped forward, knowing Sora had the same dream, shared the same feelings-

Mimi yelped and stepped back as a sharp pain reached her temples, worsening her headache. The dream flashed into her mind again in fragments, mixed in with Sora's youthful face, worried but determined in front of her; and then, a green creature, short and plant-like, with vines on its hands and a pink flower atop its head, a friendly smile on its face, and Mimi feeling like the smile she returned was real…

"Mimi," Sora said. Mimi found herself holding onto Sora's arm with one hand, her head held in the other. The latte she only took one sip of was now splattered all over the sidewalk, the cup tipped over, the lid flown off. Her head still ached, and she noticed Sora's amber eyes were different than she saw them the day before - colder, sadder than she remembered.

They really did share the same feelings.

"Are you alright, Sora?" Mimi asked.

"I'm fine," Sora muttered, averting her eyes as she said it.

"I see…" Mimi let go of Sora and stepped away, feeling hurt that Sora wouldn't admit her true feelings to her, and even worse, knowing that Mimi herself was doing that very thing all along. "I'm okay, too. I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

Thankfully, the shop she was headed to was only a few steps away. Leaving Sora to her own devices, Mimi went in, yearning for her torment to go away.

* * *

Why Sora decided to leave her apartment was beyond her.

It was the only place she didn't have to face anyone. At one point in the bar last night, it was all she wanted to go back to. Sora fell silent then. She continued serving as the requests rolled in, but she refused to talk to anyone.

"Takenouchi-!" the bar owner began, but was even taken aback by the glare she returned him, and left her alone for the remainder of the night. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't even want to serve anyone anymore. It was a feeling within her that had become worse than before. She didn't want to face Jou with it. She couldn't even look anyone in the eye, and was glad that even Yamato had been avoiding her then. She couldn't stand being in this pub full of people, and couldn't stand the feeling itself, whatever it was.

Going home and crashing onto her bed didn't help at all. The feeling never disappeared, and only amplified through her sleep, dreaming the same dream, although this time, tears streamed down her face as she woke, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't sure about the strong emotion built up inside her as she saw the face of the monster and his evil smile before he knocked her out; her hands holding onto the face of Taichi, who looked like he lost all sense of his courage; voicing out her plans to the six others who listened to her with care and caution…

It all made Sora feel sick as she hid her face in her pillow, wanting all the life-like images to disappear. The strong emotion, she realized the more she wanted all of those faces to leave her mind, was hatred.

Still, something in her told her to get out of bed. Even if she tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling for hours, not sleeping a wink. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the door of Yamato's apartment, knocking on his door. Her head hurt the longer she stood there, waiting, but she didn't want to just leave. Yamato didn't appear at the door, but it was the younger version of him, staring at her curiously. She remembered him with those same curious eyes back at summer camp, and it only disgusted her, the more she remembered, wondering why she even bothered checking on Yamato.

 _TK...he's okay,_ she thought to herself. _Matt must be be okay, anyway, if TK is-_

Sora hissed as her head ached for a moment. It appeared and disappeared in an instant. As she left the apartment complex, she heard something collapse to the ground but paid no mind, but someone called to her moments after.

"Excuse me, miss? I think you dropped something."

A man in a business suit held out a strange, small device, blue in color. Sora didn't recognize this man - he must have just been a passerby, or something. But, she had a feeling she knew what the device was, but she also thought she shouldn't bother with it.

"That's not-"

"Here you go," he said, placing it in her hand. "Have a nice day."

Sora watched the man walk away, feeling anger as he did. She didn't want this blue thing, and he didn't give her a chance to say anything. Frustrated, she tossed the blue device into the nearest trash bin before walking on.

But after doing so, a new emotion washed over her. She started questioning if she should have thrown the thing away so carelessly, as if someone else, if not herself, was hurt by this action.

Regret… Sora was feeling regret. But as she recognized this feeling, it only prompted her to speed up her pace further in the opposite direction. She walked faster and faster, eventually breaking into a run, not paying attention to where she was going-

She bumped into Taichi then, fueling her panicked feeling, but couldn't help but feel relieved, if only for a moment.

 _He's okay, too. Thank goodness._

Bumping into him didn't faze her too much, although the splitting headache that arose all of a sudden was what caused her to collapse to the ground. She held her hands against the ground as distorted memories sprang into her mind of walking with Taichi through a forest, leading in front of their two partners, hers pink and bird-like. Smiles and laughter switched to disarray with explosions, her pink partner growing into a fiery phoenix, but couldn't stop Taichi being knocked out of consciousness and being taken away…

The next thing Sora knew, she had gotten up and walked away from Taichi. The sickening feeling in her stomach was the strongest with him compared to the rest, and she had no idea why, nor did she even want to find out.

Regret remained on her mind.

She walked and walked through the streets until she realized she had stopped in front of a flower shop. It was open, but she didn't dare go in. She stood in front for a while, at a loss of what to do, where to go, when she heard her name being called once again.

 _Mimi…she's alright,_ she thought, wincing at the aches that teased her. But as Mimi collapsed in front of her, the strong emotions from last night's dream came back to her, and the feeling in her stomach never left.

Still, when Mimi got the hint and walked away, the feeling of regret returned once again, only worsening when Mimi entered the flower shop.

* * *

The bell chimed above the front door as she entered, and she stopped to take a look around, removing the sunglasses from her face. The front desk was empty on the right side, but she was greeted on the left with a table display with rows of Ikebana.

It was Mimi's first time in this shop, but she first heard about it from a girl she met at the bar - maybe Mimi saw her last night - a girl with long, red hair, eyes like the ocean. The girl gave her a gift from this shop, a gift that eventually grew into a collection now lined up along her vanity mirror, and which she was looking for amongst the rows of different flower displays now.

"Welcome!" came a voice. Mimi turned to see that a woman dressed in a kimono with her dark hair tied back had entered the room, wearing a cheerful smile. To Mimi, the kimono was beautiful, and the woman's smile reminded her of her mother's, warm and gentle.

"I want a potted cactus," Mimi said to her. "...Please," she added, suddenly feeling rude with her demand.

"Aah, wonderful!" said the woman. "Very few of my clients buy them, so I have them stored in the back. I'll bring them right out."

The woman was quick, disappearing into the back room and then appearing with a tray of small pots, each with its own cactus plant of different shapes and spikes. Mimi knew she wanted the whole tray, but she knew she could only carry one home with her.

As the woman set the tray down on the front counter for Mimi to stare at, the smiling plant-like creature appeared in Mimi's head once again, causing another jolt against her head, smaller but still painful.

"Are you alright, dear child?" the woman asked with concern.

"Y-yes, Ma'am," Mimi said, playing off the rubbing on her head as swiping a lock of hair from her face. "I'm fine."

The woman smiled but with sadness. She stared at Mimi as though she wanted to say something, but she refrained. "Well, I do hope you find one of these to your liking."

"I think they're all beautiful." Mimi took a few moments staring at each one, trying to decide which one was the prettiest. The woman stood in front of her, waiting patiently. The longer Mimi looked, the more she felt relaxed.

After her long time deciding, she picked up the pot she wanted.

"Wonderful choice," said the woman. As she rung up the plant for Mimi, she gave her another warm smile. "I just realized. You must be my mystery client."

"Mystery?" Mimi asked.

"I've seen a handful of different people buying a pot for a 'Mimi', and I've always wondered who that was."

"That's me. I'm Mimi."

She wished that she wasn't.

"It's wonderful to finally see you in person. So young, and so beautiful, like my daughter. It's been a while since I've seen her. You must be around her age."

Mimi tried to smile as she traded a banknote with the potted plant, but her lips couldn't move. Beautiful? Couldn't this woman see the bags and lines underneath her eyes? The fake smile she couldn't even force herself to bring out? There was nothing about her that she felt was beautiful.

"Oh!" the woman said suddenly. "I just remembered something." The woman ran to the back room of the shop again, then appeared, holding something in her hand. She also went over to one of the flower displays and took a flower with bright, deep pink petals that opened in the shape of a star. "Someone came in earlier today. Somehow, she knew you'd show up."

The woman held out a small, blue device in her hand, and Mimi stared at it in awe as the woman placed it into the pot of the cactus plant.

"Who brought it in?" Mimi asked.

"A young woman - never did catch her name, but she's been in here a few times. Long, red hair, and blue eyes that remind me of the ocean."

The girl from the bar…

"And, please have this, too," the woman added, taking the stem of the pink star-like flower and placing it in the niche of Mimi's ear to place in her hair. "For being one of my best clients, and because you look like you needed a pick-me-up."

Mimi's normal reaction was to swat any hand that came near her face or her hair. How perturbing it would have been, after spending so all that time styling her hair, making up her face, only for fingers and hands to disturb her efforts.

But she didn't even wince this time. Not when this woman was so kind, placing her flower with gentle care, her warm, motherly smile meeting her eyes, her soft, amber eyes…

"Ma'am…" Mimi asked then, realizing who this woman was. "Your daughter. What's her name?"

Her sad smile returned. "Sora. Her name is Sora."

* * *

Sora walked away from her mother's shop the moment Mimi disappeared into it.

It had been a few years since Sora left her mother's apartment. It was a few months into her first year of university, just as she was on the verge of dropping out. She couldn't remember a time where she ever saw eye-to-eye with her mother, or when they even got along. She only remembered when the arguments between them began as she entered middle school, when her mother was in disbelief that Sora would bring up the idea of trying out for soccer again. Sora resorted to tennis, but refused any help from her mother and went up the school rankings on her own merits.

The arguments turned into shouting matches by the end of high school, Sora remembered, as she fought against her mother's expectations of quitting sports altogether and at least trying to help her along with her flower arranging. She remembered being curled up in her bed in her dark room behind her slammed door, feeling the rage of her anger, never shedding a tear, but hearing her mother sobbing on the other side of the thin walls.

She remembered leaving her mother's apartment after their last fight, her fury reaching its peak. She packed up whatever would fit into a duffle bag and left one morning, knowing she wanted to be anywhere but the place she had just left behind. That same feeling, no matter where she went, even as she walked, never escaped her.

But what Sora remembered the most were the nights her mother thought she was in a deep sleep. No matter how much they fought, no matter how hoarse either of their voices got, or how many tears her mother shed, she would go into Sora's room to kiss her forehead. The warm feeling...

Her stomach turned, her head started aching, but this time, her eyes began to water.

It was at that moment she looked up, trying to shake her thoughts away, but she recognized a tall, blonde boy walk past, the same boy she saw earlier that morning. She noticed his different demeanor just as he turned a corner - his head down as though he was in his own thoughts, his eyes lowered in his own despair.

 _It's going to be okay, TK… I have to tell him..._

Sora winced as her headache returned, the fragmented images flashing evermore.

A gentle touch fell on her elbow suddenly. She lowered her hands from her head, not caring that she hadn't wiped the streaming tears down her cheeks. She turned to see a girl with short, brown hair, her gentle, brown eyes staring at her with concern.

 _She's okay..._

"Sora?" the girl said. "It's going to be okay."

Sora recognized her instantly, and immediately turned from the girl, walking away from her.

"Stay away from me," Sora said fiercely, her voice quivering.

"Sora, wait! We have to go back! We have to find…"

She didn't bother hearing the rest as she kept on walking, the girl's voice drowned out by other busy sounds along the street. This girl infuriated her, being just as persistent as her older brother. She couldn't stand this anymore. No matter where she turned, it was a different fragment of her past that she wished stayed there. Her mother, those dreams, the people in them, the emotions arising - she despised it all.

Sora found herself walking through the walkway of a university - the university she dropped out from. It was one thing after another, but she was too exhausted to run any further. She plopped herself onto a park bench, hugging her bent knees against her chest, and burying her face into them.

She felt a slight creak against the wooden seat beside her. Someone had taken the liberty to sit next to her, but didn't say a word. Without even looking, she already knew who it was.

"You've been following me," she said quietly, her voice still shaking.

"You do realize that I work here," he told her, sounding slightly agitated, but with a sense of calm.

"Go back to work then. Leave me alone. I'm tired of running."

"...Then, stop running."

The wooden seat creaked again, but she also heard the sound of something being set against it. By the time she looked up, Yamato had left, but looking down beside her, she saw that he set down a small, blue device, exactly like the one she had thrown away.

* * *

It made sense to Mimi then, as she stood in the flower shop, why she'd find Sora standing nearby. Mimi gently touched the flower that had just been put into her hair, taking in the sweet, floral scent. "If I see Sora," she said to the woman, "I'll tell her you said hello."

Mimi thought the sweet, caring woman would be happy about hearing this, but her reaction, to her surprise was completely different.

"Oh, child…" The woman, now known as Mrs. Takenouchi, lowered her head and raised a sleeve of her kimono to cover her face, which Mimi saw was stricken with sudden tears. "Excuse me."

"Wait, Mrs. T-"

She had disappeared into the back room once again, but Mimi knew she wasn't coming out this time. Mimi felt extremely guilty - she felt that she shouldn't have said anything, no matter how earnest she felt talking to her. The shop started to feel like every other place to her, cold, empty, unwelcoming. Perhaps it was a sign to leave.

Raising the small pot to meet her eye level, she noticed the blue, screened device sitting there. Why would the girl from the bar give it to her? Better yet, why did it look so familiar? She picked it up, feeling an odd wave of nostalgia as she held it in her palm. Maybe, she thought, it could bring her to a place that her dreams sometimes showed to her, even through the dangers of facing monsters, it was a place she felt like she belonged with her summer camp friends, with their partners, and her own partner…

 _My partner…_

Mimi wanted to go back there, and before hand, run outside to grab Sora, and then find everyone else to go with her. That was her thought as she put the potted plant and the device in her purse, and as she headed toward the door. But as the bell chimed and she walked through the door, her mind went as blank as the sudden flash of white surrounding her as she felt herself flying, and before she could yell, shout, or scream, a forest appeared before her, and she immediately crashed into a sea of green.

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Author's Note:** *waves* I thought I could fit the *restoration* in four chapters but I'm ending it on the fifth and transitioning to the next as well. Thanks for waiting for this one, everyone. This month is usually a time for happiness and celebration (I was born close to Christmas is the gist :D) and it was difficult getting into the right headspace, especially for a story like this. So thank you so much for reading and sticking with me. Let me know what you think! I've got so much more in store, it's just a matter of organizing it in my choice elegant words and writing it!

To _crestoflight3_ : Thank you for your comment! I'm happy you're enjoying my story. I'm enjoying trying to write the characters' interactions with each other in this grown-up setting while they figure out what in the world is happening to them. It's been a fun challenge!

To _Cookies_ : I hope your heart rate has calmed by the time your read this next chapter! I did mention eight 'oblong shapes' in Chapter 4 (DigiEggs!), and Gatomon's fresh form was there (the ever-so adorable Yukimi Botamon). While we're on Chapter 4, the 'replacement' I referred to was Sora's new pub. For the record, Sora nor any of our beloved Chosen Ones will ever be replaced. There will be more revealed next chapter. Nom noms of love to your comment. I totally wouldn't have stopped you if you didn't want to. :)

Thanks again for reading everyone! Until next time. Happy Holidays! xx


	15. Restoration V:Hikari:Mimi:Sora

**Digital Recovery**

 **Chapter 15**

 **System .Restoration. 5.0**

 **-Hikari-**

 **-Mimi-**

 **-Sora-**

* * *

Ignoring the words of her older brother, Hikari left the apartment to go out for a walk.

Taichi had requested for her to promise she wouldn't, but it wasn't as though she actually promised him, anyway. There was nothing for Hikari to do at home. Nothing except toast slices of bread, boil water in the kettle for tea, read another book. Her cat, Tenshi, was good company, but she could only stay indoors alone for so long.

Especially now that she had another cat to look for.

Or at least, a cat-like creature she had known from her past, in more forms than that she recognized from the fragmented images in her mind. She no longer accepted those images as dreams, but as real memories, and she knew that she wouldn't find this creature in the streets of the world that she walked through. There was a way to get to that world, and in that moment, she wanted to find out how.

Hikari walked a different path than her usual one this mid-morning. How thankful she was for the clearest skies and the sun shining brightly above her overhead. The sunnier days always improved her mood. She stopped as a group of young school children walked across the street together, hands linked together in a line as they did. They all had laughter and smiles matching the sun, and it warmed her heart while she watched them. One of the children, the smallest and the last, turned to see something on the sidewalk she set foot on, and she let go of her school mate's hand to run to it. The teacher in front kept walking, and the other children kept following.

"Um…!" said Hikari. "Excuse me…!" She tried to call to the teacher as loud as she could, but her soft-spoken voice was still too soft for her to project. She ran to the girl, who picked up the glinting item she found, her eyes never leaving it. "Hey…" Hikari started to her, bending her knees and leaning on them to talk closer to the girl. "Are you okay?"

The little girl held the item bigger than her hand, and she looked up at Hikari with her wide, dark eyes. Her dark blue hair was in pigtails, and Hikari wondered why she looked so familiar. The little girl then grinned at her.

"Here!" she said, holding the item toward Hikari, a light blue gadget with a screen on it.

"Is it not yours?" Hikari asked.

"Nuh-uh!" piped the girl. "Yours!"

"Mine…?"

The girl giggled, waiting for Hikari to take hold of it. When she did, the girl laughed some more.

"Mizu-chan!" Hikari turned to see the teacher waving a few feet away, with the other school children waiting by her side.

"Yours!" Mizu-chan said again, then, she ran off to join her class.

"Mine…" said Hikari, staring at the device now in her hand, realizing the more she looked at it and grasped it tightly, that she might have been one step closer to finding who she was looking for.

The next thing to figure out was how. How could she find someone not of this world? Hikari looked toward the group of school children again, and Mizu-chan stood there while the others started in the other direction, as though she waited for Hikari to glance her way again.

Mizu-chan's hair, her eyes, that smile… _Why_ did they bring her a sense of comfort? As though she had seen that all before, and it brought her to a place where she always found tranquility, where she relied on escaping her despairing thoughts the moment she set foot inside, surrounded by books, and a fish tank…

 _Kido-san…Jou..._

Hikari walked the other direction, making her way to the bookshop. She knew Jou was going to be there, and so was Takeru. Of course, there were others in her memories, but both Jou and Takeru were the easiest for her to find; and, with the shop being a place she could escape to, she had a hope that they could help finding the place they had all discovered their escape to before-

Pain - pain shot into the sides of her head, and Takeru's young, tearful face in the remnants of her mind, followed by Jou's worried grimace. It was as though her mind taunted her with these images of memories in which she knew would lead to their demise, by the figure she knew would appear once again.

Daemon… the figure as dark and despairing as her thoughts. Withstanding the pain, Hikari held the side of her tingling neck, knowing it was more important than ever to get to that other world as fast as she possibly could.

The closer she got to the bookshop, the busier the streets became. She hurried along, trying to pass the people walking in the opposite direction, but they slowed her down. A shout made her stop then, and she found someone stagnant amidst the moving crowd. The red hair was enough for Hikari to recognize her, and she rushed to Sora's side, even as she lowered to the ground, appearing to be in a torture of her own. As Hikari watched Sora hold her head with tears in her eyes, she knew the memories were hurting her, too.

But, as Hikari tried to hold her in comfort, Sora recoiled in her contempt, and hurriedly walked away. Hikari hadn't seen Sora since their time in the other world, and only had fond memories of her. She had a smile full of warmth, and her words of comfort always eased her mind, no matter how tense the situation.

Hikari kept on walking, even as she thought of Sora's reaction to her in stark contrast, for even though Hikari looked for it, there was no love in Sora's eyes then.

* * *

Mimi opened her eyes with the side of her face on the ground. Slowly, she lifted herself with her palms against the ground, with no recollection on how she ended up being surrounded by tall leaves of grass. She breathed in the moisture of the air, then put her hands to her hair, feeling slight relief that her waves remained intact, save for the few leaves she brushed away with her fingers. The lily remained over her ear, and her scarf was unwrapped but still hanging at her neck. The air wasn't dry, she realized then, and didn't smell of the smog of the city; it was a fresher scent of green trees and flowers.

She had experienced a few places in her lifetime - she had been to America, mostly the bigger cities - so she would certainly remember the most she's ever been surrounded by a mostly green environment. It was more than just summer camp; it was what she started realize she wasn't visiting this place in her dreams, she was reliving it, and now, somehow she was back in the Digital World.

 _My partner… Where is she?_

Mimi stood up, her heels thumping against the soil. She had no idea where in this world she ended up. Only the buzzing of insects and the soft chirping of birds graced her ears as she looked around the forest.

That, and chatter she began to hear in the distance. She eyed a path at the edge of the grass from where she stood, and as the grumbling voices became louder, she noticed that the unfamiliar voices were fastly approaching. Quickly, she moved to the nearest tree and crouched against it, hoping she would at least see a few friendly faces when they passed by.

However, Mimi looked on with uncertainty when she saw two armored creatures, both looking unfriendly and disgruntled, and she kept her position behind the tree. From her view, they were two of the same kind - they looked like turtles that walked on their hind legs, their forelegs as arms, and their armored shells looked like enlarged computer mice. She listened to them ramble about going on the same daily route, etc. then talked about asking about a day free from their duties

"It's not a good time Kamemon," said the one that looked more cautious. "You don't really want to anger Daemon right now. He is furious with what's been happening lately."

 _Daemon?_

"Pfft. You're right, Chibi," Kamemon told the other. "Those Digimon are lucky we haven't caught them yet. To think, all this time, he thought they were deleted forever."

"Curse those two!" said the one now known as Chibi. "Retrieving the DigiEggs from under our noses and tricking Daemon into thinking he had the real crests all along!"

 _Those two?_ Mimi leaned cautiously to continue listening as the two Digimon continued their strides.

"I hope to be the one who captures them," growled Kamemon. "Daemon will be pleased when he sees that I've caught the notorious Jen… what were their names?"

"Jen… Jen-something," said Chibi. "The other, Ny-"

"Wait."

Kamemon stopped Chibi from walking just past the tree Mimi hid behind.

"Can you smell that?" Kamemon asked.

"Smell what?"

Mimi froze, watching them both stand still as they inhaled their surroundings. Did they get a whiff of her perfume? Or, did she suddenly stink from falling onto soiled ground…?

"You remember the training. The crests and their odd scent. It can only mean one thing… There's a human in our midst."

Her eyes widened in terror as both of the Digimon turned toward the tree, knowing she had nowhere to run without getting caught by then. Trying to run away, even taking a step without rustling leaves would have been no use. The topic of crests boggled her mind, knowing the word must have had _some_ importance, but she had no idea why. She also had no idea how fast they were, but she knew that they were dangerous, and as tears stung her lower lids, fear consuming her the closer they approached, she knew there was nothing she could do to defend herself.

 _My partner… Where are you?!_

A scream pierced her ears, but it wasn't of her own. Before she closed her eyes to an explosion on the other side of the tree, she saw a spiral of green light, blasted toward the Digimon, now sprawled against the ground.

"Run, Mimi!" shouted a voice, a voice that left her shocked to hear in this place and time, but at the same time, relieved. She got up from her spot and ran onto the path, finding a pink, birdlike creature flapping its wings midair as it lowered to the ground, and next to her, her amber eyes still dark from earlier, except now lit with outrage.

"Sora…?"

"Get out of here, Mimi," Sora said, sounding impatient, although, somehow Mimi knew her tone wasn't directed toward her. "It isn't safe here."

She looked at Sora, and then her partner who looked up at her with her curious blue eyes, but then frowned as she looked down after Sora showed no acknowledgment. The sight saddened Mimi, who yearned to find her own-

That was when Mimi heard her name. A small creature pounced into view from behind Sora, with its two leaves stemming atop its head, its face already stricken with smiling tears as it rushed towards her.

"My partner…" Mimi said aloud with a soft gasp. "Tanemon…?"

"Mimi! Oh, Mimi! I've been waiting for you for so long!"

Mimi knelt down for Tanemon to jump into her arms. She clutched Tanemon against her chest, feeling the pain in her head as fragments of memories flashed before her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting all her tears flood after holding them back for so long.

"I'm so happy to see you, Tanemon," said Mimi through the pain, "But, it hurts…"

"It will be okay, Mimi," Tanemon sobbed. "We found each other."

* * *

"I should have known it was the stench of two humans."

Sora stood with her fists clenched as Kamemon stumbled back to its feet, the other known as Chibi still moaning from Biyomon's hit. She had been feeling annoyed from the moment she arrived here. One moment, she headed toward a university building to find Yamato, the next, she was in the Digital World, running into a worried Tanemon and a cheerful Yokomon who was excited to see her.

Sora wanted nothing to do with Yokomon. She wanted Yokomon to leave her be, and she immediately walked away, hoping to find peace from her thoughts, from the people she kept dwelling on, and from the Digimon who refused to leave her side.

Yokomon still followed her around quietly, with Tanemon at her side, talking amongst themselves quietly, but Sora could still hear them.

"We still need to find Nyaromon," she heard Tanemon say. "Do you think we should ask Sora if she's seen her?"

"We shouldn't bother her too much, Tanemon," Yokomon said glumly. "I'm sure she'd tell us if she knew, whether or not she wants to talk to me."

Sora then heard Tanemon share encouraging words. It irritated her, but she kept quiet and couldn't help but turn around to glance at the pink bulb with the blue flower every few moments. She walked along the path in the forest until she approached a curve, and that was when more voices were heard.

"Two Kamemon headed this way!" Yokomon said in a hushed, urgent voice. "We'd better hide!"

Sora and the two In-Training Digimon hid behind bushes, and a few moments later, Tanemon squeaked.

"It's Mimi! Just behind that tree!"

Yokomon shushed her.

"They're headed straight to her…" Sora noticed as the Rookie Digimon talked loudly about their leader Daemon, which caused her to narrow her eyes. But then, she saw the Digimon stop, and inch their way towards Mimi's tree. Mimi was defenseless, yet these creatures were ready to strike, either way. Sora couldn't bear the thought of an attack on someone so helpless. Her head began to pound, which only worsened her anger.

"I have to help her," Sora said with determination. She looked to Yokomon, whose bright blue eyes matched the fire Sora felt within her, despite the disdain she felt. Next thing she knew, Yokomon glowed in front of her, digivolving into the form Sora remembered her being in the most.

Now, after Biyomon attacked them and Mimi and Tanemon reunited, Chibi stood up, now recollecting its strength.

"There is no point in running," Kamemon snarled. "We've got you now."

Chibi squealed in his menacing delight. "Daemon is going to reward us for this! Digimon _and_ the DigiDestined?"

"You're not hurting any one of us!" Sora shouted.

Biyomon flapped her wings with another attack, but this time, the two Kamemon rolled into their shells as the green light bounced off.

"You aren't going to fool us with that a second time!" yelled Kamemon. They both followed with bursts of water streams, both hitting Biyomon square in her chest causing her to fall back.

"Biyomon!" Sora shouted in her worry, but it was as though she was hit with her own attack to the head, the sharp pain returning.

"You're not as bold as you make yourself out to be," Kamemon sneered as he and Chibi approached Sora, who was now on her knees holding her head in her hands, wishing the fragmented memories would disappear.

"Leave our friends alone!" she heard Mimi shout, and Sora cursed under her breath, the pain getting stronger. She already told Mimi to run away from the danger, yet here she was, running towards it. Mimi screamed then, and Sora felt her fall back beside her, but when the fog in her head cleared and she was able to open her eyes, she saw a bright light before them, and watched as Tanemon digivolved into a bigger plant-form, who immediately threw her arms forward to release vines that wrapped around Kamemon's body.

"Palmon!" Mimi cried. Sora looked as Palmon turned to Mimi and give her a grin, but Palmon didn't notice Chibi was darting towards her, ready to blindside an attack.

"Look out!" Sora yelled.

Palmon didn't turn her head in time. Chibi charged forward to attack with its helmet, but Biyomon hit him with her Spiral Twister, intercepting his attack.

"You need to go back to the real world!" Biyomon shouted to Sora and Mimi. "Find Tai and Izzy, and everyone else! You need to come back together!"

"Tai? Izzy?" Sora got up, and helped Mimi up with her.

"What about you Palmon? Biyomon?" Mimi asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about us!" Palmon said, her vines still constricting Kamemon's arms and body. "We'll take these guys down and get back to the others. Just find an entryway and get out of here!"

An explosion burst the ground behind them. Sora turned to see two more armored Digimon headed their way from the other side. She wondered how in the world could two Rookie Digimon could possibly take on an ambush, and at the same time, if she even wanted to come back to a world as in more disarray than the world she had to go back to.

"How do you know?" Sora asked, and Biyomon turned to her amidst the impending attack. "How do you know you'll beat them? How do you know that I'll come back?"

Even as cold as Sora was to her, Biyomon smiled cheerfully.

"I believe, Sora," she said, and just as the other armored Digimon ran forward, they were halted by two new faces, those being familiar to her. Agumon and Tentomon charged toward them, while the remaining In-training forms jumped and cheered on from the bushes.

"Come on, Sora!" Mimi was already pulling Sora's arm to run. Somehow, she wanted to hang on to Biyomon's words, and it prompted her to run with Mimi, knowing their Digimon would be alright, and that they would all see each other again.

But just as they found an archway in the middle of the forest, a water burst shot towards them, and Sora pushed Mimi away, both of them falling to the ground. Another Kamemon had followed them. Sora ran her hand over the back of the top of her pants to make sure her knife was still there.

"Mimi," Sora said in hushed, urgent voice. "Go back and find the others. I'll be right behind you."

"But Sora-!"

" _Please, just do it, Mimi!"_

"You'll never win," said the Kamemon with a sneer as Mimi and Sora both got up. "Daemon's had your crest power all along. You'll never get it back. He's already destroyed your lives for good."

Sora's eyes narrowed, unsure of what he meant, but feeling irritated by his words.

"Don't make me hate you more than I already do. Mimi- _Now!"_

Mimi turned back and leaped through the archway, and the Kamemon lunged toward them, but not before Sora pulled out her knife to stab him in the leg. The Kamemon screeched his pain, and by the time she pulled the knife out and turned to run, Mimi had already disappeared. Sora darted through after, though she was caught between a gasp and a scream, feeling the sharp claws of the Kamemon swipe at her shoulder blade just as the Digital World faded behind her.

* * *

Suddenly, Mimi stood on the corner of a busy intersection. Her scarf was gone and so were her sunglasses, which must have shattered at some point in the other world. She could hardly process her thoughts, after leaving Sora's standoff with the Kamemon.

 _Palmon? Sora? Where did Sora-_

Mimi gasped as she quickly moved out of the way of a man who trudged forward, without a moment's thought to walk around her. Then, an older woman, another man, a group of businesspeople - Mimi swerved back and forth frantically, her tears already making their way down, the amount of people walking past her leaving her no time to find a clear, open path.

A bright flash caught her attention above her, stopping her attempt to escape the busy street. Looking up, her eyes rose to a large screen over the tall building on the adjacent street corner, where lights flashed and sparkled around a young woman holding a microphone before a sea of cheering people. The woman turned to face the screen as though to Mimi, smiling and winking, emitting her exuberant joy.

None of that was real.

The street was busier now. Mimi felt herself being pushed along the crowd, every moment a new direction. People passed by her, running into her, casting her aside like she was insignificant, unimportant... As she fell onto to the sidewalk, her palms against the cement, she looked down to let her long locks of hair fall in front of her face, and to watch her tears pitter patter like raindrops. No one cared to ask if she was alright, but what did it matter? She was being treated like she felt she deserved to be, like the insincere human she truly was.

"Mimi, are you alright?"

Mimi raised her head, her hair falling back to reveal her tear-stained face to the face of an angel, her brown eyes staring at her with care and concern.

"K...Kari…?" Mimi said, and Hikari smiled cheerfully. Mimi could see sadness, but the smile was enough to brighten her current state, if only by a little bit. Hikari helped gather Mimi's things off of the ground and helped her stand. Together, they moved their way through the bustling street, and Mimi realized she hadn't seen her in forever. Not that she was too young to be at a bar, no -

When they reached a corner where less people walked around, Hikari stopped to give Mimi a hug.

"I'm scared too, Mimi," Hikari said, and Mimi hugged back tightly, letting her tears flow. "Don't worry, it's alright now."

Before Mimi could respond, Hikari let go of Mimi and started walking away.

"Where are you going, Kari?" she asked.

"I'm going back, of course. I need to find her."

Mimi's eyes widened, knowing exactly where Hikari meant. "Wait, Kari, don't go. Come with me - let's find everyone else first, and we can all go together -"

However, Hikari continued to walk, as though she wasn't listening to Mimi at all. Hikari's eyes… her smile, her bright smile was there, but her eyes told a different story.

"Hikari!" Mimi cried, running after her, but she disappeared into the crowd. The busy crowd that seemed to surround her, swarming her again.

She began to cry, feeling just as helpless as though she never even caught a glimpse of Hikari, and that was when her phone rang.

"Izzy," she said, not even caring to hide her sniffles anymore.

"Rough day, huh?" he asked.

"Why would you care?" she asked, even though she really wanted him, someone, anyone to.

"I guess you could say I'm on the same boat… and so are a lot of us… including Sora."

Mimi gasped. "Have you seen her? Is she alright?!"

"She's okay. Matt and I found her wounded, but she'll be okay. We're taking her to the pub."

The pub, where Mimi knew everyone was going to meet.

It was going to happen tonight.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

 _Mimi was sincere._

That was Hikari's thought as she heard the sounds of Mimi's yelling and pleading from behind her. _Could it be, that she had already been to the Digital World? But, why is it that she didn't want me to go?_

As Hikari turned onto the street of the bookshop, she nearly bumped into someone, both of them with wide eyes as they halted in front of each other.

"Oh… TK," she said, in her surprise. "You're wearing your hat, too." She smiled at him, and as he smiled back, she noticed that he didn't look like his usually cheerful self as he did in the bookshop. Not only did she begin to worry, but it seemed like her despairing feelings were returning.

"Are you okay?" Takeru asked, although Hikari asked at the same time. They stared at each other before sharing their nervous laughter with each other.

 _Should I ask him? About the DigiWorld?_

"Thank you for the books yesterday, by the way," Hikari said, thinking about the stack he left behind after her collapse.

"Don't mention it," he said, his eyes showing more sadness than he let on.

 _...Maybe another time._

"Anyway, I should get going. Tai's going to kill me if he finds out I'm out again."

Takeru laughed. "I don't believe that one bit."

 _I'll find it on my own._

"See you, TK." Hikari held her hand up as they parted, and she turned around to walk away.

"Hey, Kari?"

Hikari turned around.

"It'll get better, you know," he said. "Neither of us feel that way right now, but something's just telling me to say it for the both of us."

She watched as he walked away, knowing that he was in an internal battle, and she was rooting for hope to win. As he entered the bookshop from afar, she took out her blue device - her Digivice, grasping it in her hand.

Then, Hikari broke into a run.

"TK… TK, wait!" she called, running toward the bookshop door. Through the window, she saw Takeru's back turned, she opened the door, the bell chimed, a sea of white, and then-

Hikari halted, waving her arms in front of her to prevent her from falling. She looked around, her arms still outstretched to keep her balance, and she stood up at the breathtaking surroundings.

"I'm here…" she breathed. "I'm back… I don't believe it…"

She looked at the dirt path beneath her feet, suddenly with a hopeful feeling. She walked along, noticing there was brightness on the path ahead of her, and kept walking towards it.

"Kari…"

Hikari stopped, turning her head toward the sound of her name. It was small, it was high, it was familiar…

"Who's there?" she called, and just then, a small, yellow cat-like creature pounced toward her, and Hikari threw out her arms to catch her from falling.

"Kari! Kari!"

"Nyaromon?!" Hikari stared at the creature with her cat ears and purple tail behind her, tears instantly streaming down her cheeks.

"Kari! I've been looking for you, all this time!" said Nyaromon, nuzzling into her chest. "It's alright now."

Hikari smiled with her head down toward Nyaromon, her tears flowing as she cradled her in her arms. Slowly, she began to feel warmth within her, even as the darkness of the fragmented memories threatened to cause her harm.

"Found you."

Nyaromon's smile was wiped away, and Hikari turned to see a new Digimon before them, a turtle-like creature in an armored shell. It was unfamiliar to her, with two similar kind following right behind him.

 _Tai..._

Their frightening stares reduced Nyaromon to a soft whimper, and Hikari turned her own body toward them to guard her partner. She didn't have her older brother there to protect her, but somehow, being in this place made her feel braver.

"I don't have anything that you want. Leave us be!" said Hikari forcefully.

The three Digimon laughed.

"You can't fool anyone, not even Daemon," said the Digimon leading the other two, fastly approaching her. "We've got you now, Digidestined."

Nyaromon jumped out of Hikari's arms, shooting bubbles that forced the leader's step back. Then, she smashed her tail against the second Digimon, hitting him toward the ground, but the third caught hold of her, tightening his grip.

"Let her go!" Hikari yelled, but the leader got up quickly, rushing towards her, pushing her stomach, causing her to fall back. She tried to get up, but she couldn't move a muscle. It wasn't fear causing this - he must have…

"Rest, easy, Child," said the leader. "We're going to take you to an old friend. Someone who has something of yours. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to see you."

"' _Rest easy'?"_ Hikari asked, glaring. But as the leader reached into his pocket and pulled out a black, rectangular device, Hikari was no longer glaring. Horror returned to her as he slowly approached her, her mind racing with fragments and flashbacks of her despair. She couldn't move at all as the voices of her brother, her friends, her partner echoed in her mind with words of encouragement, but all in a jumble that left her frightened.

The strange light shined brightly past Nyaromon who couldn't struggle free, but the only lasting image was of Daemon, with the sound of his growling voice that lined up with the leader Digimon as he held the cold, metallic device to the side of her neck, uttering his next words before it all went black:

"Sweet dreams, my dear."

* * *

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 **Author's Note:** Well, hello there, long time, no see. SO, we have reached the end of the Restoration "arc". Everyone will come together with their partners in time. This fic has been really fun to write but also challenging. I have some grand ideas and taking tons of notes on how this whole recovery thing will be resolved for everyone, it's just a matter of connecting everything - or, as I like to say, 'Tai' it all together (teehee). Next up, the Digidestined minus one gather.

Let me know what you all think about this so far. I love reading your comments and reviews! Thanks for the follows and the faves, and thank you for reading! xx


	16. System:Reformation

**A/N:** Thank you for your patience on my updates! I'm happy to finally break my hiatus, especially with this fic. Please enjoy.

* * *

 **DIGITAL RECOVERY**

 **Chapter 16**

 **System Reformation**

* * *

 **-Taichi-**

* * *

The moment Taichi stepped out of the elevator, he noticed that nobody on the department floor was working.

Rather, his fellow coworkers were not hunched over their computers and quietly typing and clicking away, but they were either swiveling in their chairs or leaning against their cubicle walls as they chatted among themselves. He greeted them all with a smile and a "Morning!" as he made his way down the walkway towards his own cubicle. The confusion he felt at the sight before him was already hidden behind that smile, but he had already been hiding the anxiety that had been growing ever since he parted ways with Koushiro at the train station not too long beforehand. It was the anxiety knowing that he would have to face Jensen and Nyla, after discovering what they knew.

Jensen and Nyla were the first two people he introduced himself to during his first day on the job _._ Jensen always jumped to his aid for any processing-related questions, and Nyla always seemed to be the assistant closest to his cubicle whenever his computer went haywire on him, or when he felt like drinking another cup of coffee.

The two of them seemed the most eager to be his friend. They convinced him to join them at the local pub on most nights after work, and they always spoke encouraging words, making even the hardest days on the job bearable for him.

However, Taichi discovered that they knew about the Digital World, about the Digimon, and about his connection to it. They knew more about him than just as "Taichi Yagami, Data Processor" _._ They knew, and they didn't tell him a thing.

Taichi was desperate to find out why.

He tried to calm the whirling questions that dizzied his mind as he turned the corner into the walkway that led to his desk. His heartbeat quickened with every step closer, and he enclosed his hand around the digivice and tightened his grip, as though it would somehow give him the strength to speak to Jensen the moment he faced him in his cubicle. However, when he reached his desk and soon after stepped over to Jensen's next door, he came to find out that Jensen wasn't even sitting in it.

"Coffee, Yagami-san?"

Taichi turned to see the coffee pot in front of him and expected to look up to meet Nyla's blue eyes and red hair, but saw that he was facing the other assistant, her brunette hair twisted up in a large clip.

"I guess so…" Taichi said, removing his coat and setting it on the hook on the side of his cubicle. The assistant smiled and moved to his desk where he filled his empty mug with fresh coffee.

"Drinking coffee ought to be the hardest part of your day, today, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh-did you just get in? The system has been down all morning. No one's been able to work."

For however long it took, a system shutdown normally made all the pressure of daily goals and end-of-the-week deadlines disappear for Taichi and his fellow coworkers. The boss even gave more relief by extending their deadlines whenever something like this occurred. On an occasion like this, Taichi would join the conversations with his fellow coworkers, laughing and smiling as though he suddenly didn't have a care in the world.

It didn't make sense for him to smile this time.

He remained lost in his thoughts until he felt a hard smack across his back, surprising him and even the assistant next to him.

"Taichi!" came a deep voice with a raspy growl. Taichi turned to look at his boss, an older, balding man with a cheerful smile below his silvery mustache. "You look tense."

"Oh - Hiraga-san…" Taichi said, uncertain of what to say next. Then, he let out a nervous laugh while scratching the back of his head. "Well, it has been a strange morning."

"Indeed, it has been, son, but I'm sure you'll find it'll be an easy day here, for the time being."

"Nyla is certainly missing out on the fun, isn't she?" said the assistant with a grin, and Hiraga laughed.

"I haven't heard from her at all today!"

"Really?" Taichi asked, curiously.

"Haven't even heard from our buddy, Jensen, either."

"He hasn't called in?"

"I'm sure it's something they'll have a good explanation later. You keep in touch with them, don't you, Taichi? Tell them I send them my regards."

Taichi was at a loss for words as Hiraga laughed heartily, and the assistant with him joined along. The boss appeared more relaxed than he usually was, and Tai couldn't help but feel something odd about this.

Another assistant appeared then, and Hiraga-san leaned towards him to listen to his whispered instructions. Hiraga-san nodded, and turned to Tai as both assistants parted in opposite directions.

"Well, apologies for making you come all the way here, Taichi," said Hiraga. "Our techs have discovered the virus and are now sorting it out in 'Digital Recovery'. They don't have a time frame, but we might as well start sending everyone home."

"You sure, Boss?" asked Taichi.

"Why not? We can't get anything done if our systems aren't running."

"I guess so…" Taichi unhooked this coat and put it back on, still trying to wrap his head around the events of the morning. _Of all days for Jensen and Nyla to miss work…_ he thought.

"It's incredible to think about," Hiraga added. "They finally found the solution to get rid of the virus. After all this time, they'll have a chance to finally be themselves again…"

Taichi turned to Hiraga, the words oddly meaningful.

"What was that, sir?"

Hiraga laughed his hearty laugh, smacking Taichi's back once again. "Don't you worry about it, my boy! The system will be back up before you know it! Now, go on! Enjoy your day!"

Well, _that_ was going to be hard to do. Taichi walked across the floor, in the direction he just came from. He couldn't echo the lively chatter and the delighted goodbyes to him as he passed through, not with the deepening thoughts flashing in his mind. As he ignored the boisterous atmosphere among his coworkers going down the elevator, he knew the next thing he had to do was find out what Jensen and Nyla were even up to.

* * *

 **-Jensen/Nyla-**

* * *

As Jensen and Nyla arrived at the cave, they realized that there were no Digimon to greet them.

"It can't be helped," Jensen said with a low exhale. "I'm sure they won't be able to sit still, now that they know they'll see their partners soon."

"They've waited for so long," Nyla added, tears glistening on her lower lids.

"We all have." Jensen wrapped his arm around Nyla's shoulder in comfort, smiling as he thought about the task they accomplished that morning.

It began as they left the bar the night before. Izzy was the easiest to approach for Jensen, even with the failed attempts at recruiting him to join D.I.G.I. Corp as he slipped a business card into Izzy's pocket. That night, a digivice was slipped in instead.

Jensen and Nyla waited until the morning to deliver the other digivices, splitting up the work. The timing had to be right. They hadn't planned on bringing any of the Digimon back into the real world, even as all eight Digimon bounced around excitedly, begging them to join along. As reluctant as the pair were, they decided that only one of the Digimon was allowed to come with, and everyone agreed that Koromon should go.

Upon reaching the real world, Nyla parted from Jensen with four digivices to return. She hid wherever she could as she planted them near the Chosen Children that they belonged to. Things seemed to fall into place, as the troubled Mrs. Takenouchi handed Mimi's with her potted cactus; as the young Mizu saw Hikari's and somehow knew it was hers; and, as the dog Hibiki scratched at Yamato's with her eagerness to draw his attention to it. Even when Sora threw hers away the first time, Nyla had fished it out and dropped it in Yamato's path, quickly hiding behind a tree when she was nearly caught by him. She knew it was in him to bring it to its rightful owner.

Jensen had lost track of Koromon, but trusted that he would wander his way to Taichi somehow. He had found Taichi first, however, walking along the street, lost in thought, like he usually was. It was the perfect moment to drop the digivice into his pocket. As the box truck made its stop in front of the bookstore, Jensen made sure that he planted Takeru and Jou's near the packages as soon as they were dropped off.

And now, as Jensen and Nyla both stood in the cave alone, all they knew to do was to wait. They knew, based on the beeping of their own digivices, that all eight of the children now had their own in their possession. What happened from then on remained a mystery. Jensen figured that Koromon would have returned to the Digital World by then, with new information to report.

Digimon in their in-training forms began to file into the cave, one by one. Bukamon, Tokomon, Tsunomon entered, and Jensen and Nyla were shocked to see Palmon and Biyomon, both looking worn. They were fighting? They digivolved? That must have meant...

"What happened?" Nyla asked.

"Biyomon and Palmon took down the Kamemon easy!" said Bukamon.

"They could barely put up a fight," said Palmon as she rested against Biyomon by the fire.

"The Kamemon…" said Jensen.

There must have been more out there than there usually were. It was a sign that Daemon knew what was going on, and he must have sent them to be on the lookout, but…

"You must have seen Sora, and Mimi, didn't you?" asked Nyla as she knelt down next to Palmon.

Palmon smiled, closing her eyes. "Mimi…" she said, sighing happily. Biyomon was expressionless.

"We digivolved to protect them from the Kamemon," said Biyomon. "And made sure they went back to the real world to bring the other partners back."

"We saw Tai and Izzy, too!" squeaked Tsunomon. "They came back with Koromon before he and Motimon digivolved!"

"And, where are they now?" Jensen asked.

"They stayed outside to find Nyaromon," said Tokomon. "She's been missing for a while now."

Beeps sounded from Jensen's and Nyla's Digivices. A blinking dot appeared, indicating that an owner of a digivice had arrived in the Digital World. Jensen exchanged glances with Nyla, knowing that she concluded the same thing he did.

"I've been worried about Hikari," said Nyla.

"Did you see any of the other humans?" Jensen asked when he turned to the digimon

The three in-training digimon shook their heads.

"We'll have to split up," he told Nyla. "I need to make sure our friends out there don't get into any more trouble."

"I'll go back to the real world," said Nyla in agreement. "I'm sure I know where to find everyone else when I get there."

"They're going to have a lot of questions."

"I know. I'll handle it."

Jensen got up, throwing the hoodie over his head. "I'll be here by the time you come back," he said.

"You'd better be."

With one last glance between them, Jensen and Nyla went their separate ways, preparing themselves for anything.

* * *

 **-Takeru-**

* * *

In the early afternoon, Jou and Takeru stood side by side in front of the door of the pub. Takeru turned to Jou, waiting for him to make a move. Jou appeared to keep his eyes on the door, and heaved a loud sigh.

"Aren't we supposed to knock, or something?" Takeru asked, holding up his fist and ready to knock.

"Wait-" Jou said, stopping him with his hand on Takeru's wrist. "It looks closed. Maybe we should come back later. Let's go, Takeru."

Takeru eyed Jou for a few moments, observing his hesitation. He couldn't comprehend what was making Jou so nervous, but he figured that maybe he had to trust in his boss at a time like this.

Or not.

Just as Jou turned his foot away from the door, Takeru lurched forward and rapped his fist against it, anyway.

"Takeru!" Jou said with a gasp.

"Lighten up, Jou!" Takeru said. "You said you wanted to show me something, didn't you? I've been curious about it all day."

"Well, maybe now's not a good time…"

"I don't see how it can't be if you've got the first aid kit sitting in your shoulder bag."

Jou took a moment to pause.

"How did you know?"

"Don't think I didn't see you trying to sneak it in."

The door opened, and Jou and Takeru turned to see someone peer out at them, with long, brown wavy curls flowing down, her brown eyes squinting as the sun hit her face.

"Jou? TK?" she said.

"Mimi?" said Takeru, surprised. "From summer camp?"

"Get in, quickly," she said, opening the door further and motioning them to go inside. Questions began to form in Takeru's mind, especially seeing that Jou wasn't as bewildered as he was.

"TK!" Mimi said impatiently, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He followed Jou through the door, and Mimi locked the door as soon as she closed it.

Takeru looked around the quiet bar, seeing the tables and chairs empty. The blinds and windows were closed, and the lighting was dim.

"I've got a weird feeling about this," said Jou.

"You, too?" Takeru asked.

"There's a nagging worry in my mind, and I don't know how to avoid it."

"Jou," said Mimi. "Please tell me you brought some supplies."

"Supplies?" he asked with surprise. "I have a first aid kit-"

"I knew you'd come prepared."

Quickly, Mimi grabbed Jou's arm and led him through the table aisles and toward the back of the stage. Takeru followed closely behind.

"Wait - where are we going?" Jou asked.

"The break room. Don't worry. I kicked the manager out, so it's just us here."

"I can only imagine how that went."

"Hang on," said Takeru, scrambling to catch up with them. "Who do you mean by 'us'?"

As soon as Mimi threw the door open, they were all met by stares from Yamato and Koushiro.

"Jou?" said Koushiro.

"Takeru?" Yamato stood up from his seat next to Sora, who was laying on the couch on her stomach, her eyes closed.

"Yamato..."

Takeru looked around the room, not only surprised to see Yamato there, but two others who he also hadn't seen since that one summer.

 _What was going on?_

"Jou," Mimi urged, holding his arm. "We need you to help Sora."

Takeru's eyes steered toward Sora, and noticed a towel over her back, stained with marks of red.

"What?" Jou said. "Me?"

"She was attacked and got her shoulder hurt, just before we got back from the DigiWorld."

"WHAT?!"

"The DigiWorld?" Takeru asked, curiously. It was a name that felt more familiar to him as soon as it was mentioned.

"Please, Jou!" pleaded Mimi. "We need you…"

Takeru saw that Jou had a panicked expression on his face, then, he saw that he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'll have to see how bad it is."

Takeru had caught Jou in the back of the shop sometimes, when he thought no one else was looking. How he cared about mending a book back together. He gave it the care it needed. Takeru thought about it before, that Jou would have been a great doctor, if things turned out differently.

"We ran out of disinfectant," Takeru heard Yamato tell Jou as he lifted the towel from Sora, revealing the slashes oozing with blood on her shoulder. No human could have done that to her - Takeru figured that much.

"It's going to get infected if we don't treat it," said Jou.

Jou took out his first aid kit, which, as Takeru saw him comb through, didn't have any alcohol wipes, or any kind of liquid that might help.

"Vodka…" they heard Sora say weakly.

Everyone exchanged glances at each other.

"I'll get it," said Koushiro, and came back immediately with a tall bottle that had a quarter of the clear liquid left. Jou poured it all to drench the towel.

"This is going to sting, Sora," said Jou.

Sora let out a shriek, piercing to Takeru's ears as he watched Jou pressed the vodka-soaked towel against her shoulder. Mimi winced and averted her stare, but Takeru couldn't look away. He had always admired how strong Sora was, and how much pain she was able to withstand. It just terrified him to see her in agony.

"Sora!" Takeru shouted, terrified to watch the pain in her eyes, but he stepped back, startled to hear his own voice echo in his ears.

" _Biyomon! BIYOMON!" Sora screamed, banging her fists against the cave walls that had just appeared in front of them._

" _Sora! Please!" Takeru cried, clutching the bottom of her shirt with tears stinging his eyes. "Patamon… Biyomon… They're all gone!"_

" _Leave her alone, Takeru," said Yamato shakily. He dropped to his knees on the cave floor, holding his hands to his own eyes. Hikari, Jou, Mimi, and Koushiro stood along the walls, all of them just as distraught._

" _I'm sorry, TK," Sora said with her soft, quivering voice, her whole body trembling. "I just don't know what to do without her. I feel so lost…"_

" _I know it hurts to lose them," said Takeru, his tears flowing as he thought about his own. "Patamon's gone, and it hurts! But even if he's gone, he'll always be with me. They all will be with us, even Biyomon."_

" _TK's right," added Hikari, wiping tears from her eyes. "We can't let this stop us from saving my brother! I know Gatomon wouldn't want me to give up!"_

" _Even if they're gone, we still have each other, don't we...?"_

 _Takeru blinked his tears as he waited for Sora to speak. Her fist was still on the wall, but she didn't move from her spot._

" _Don't we, Sora…?" he repeated, desperate for an answer._

" _You're right, TK," Sora finally said. She lowered her hands and wiped her eyes. Then, she turned to Takeru and gave him a tight hug. "We're all in this together."_

 _She pulled apart from him and placed her hands on his shoulders, her amber eyes staring into his. Then, she smiled, and wiped the tears from his eyes._

 _Seeing her in pain frightened Takeru, but he knew that she would never let herself dwell in it for too long._

 _She always bounced back, no matter what._

"Takeru, you okay?"

Takeru blinked, realizing that Yamato stood in front of him, supporting his shoulders while he slouched. Standing up made him feel dizzy. He took his hands to his eyes, surprised to find them wet from tears.

That hope he was feeling... Where did that come from?

"I'm fine," he said, even though Yamato gave him a look of skepticism, which Takeru expected.

Sora lay flat on the couch, but panting as she caught her breath. Her eyes were closed, with tears streaming from her eyes. Jou wrapped her shoulder with a bandage as her breathing calmed.

"You didn't save any of it for me to drink," she croaked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sora," said Jou.

"Leave me be."

Sora turned her head to face the couch. Mimi appeared again, this time with a blanket to cover her with. Despite Sora's silent hostility, Takeru noticed that her and Mimi's friendship didn't seem to change.

"Don't you want us to keep you company?" Mimi asked, but Sora was still silent.

"We should let her rest," said Jou, and Takeru noticed his fingers massaging his temples.

"Jou?" he asked.

"I'm okay... It's just another headache."

Mimi frowned, and walked out of the room with Jou and Koushiro. Takeru followed, not knowing what to do but watch. He noticed Yamato linger behind, as though he didn't want to leave Sora's side. He never knew what Yamato did during his free time, but wondered how much of his time was spent with her. Takeru could tell how much he cared about her; he saw the same worried expression on Yamato's face that showed whenever Takeru was in trouble.

"I'll be fine," Sora told him. "I mean it."

"Let's go, Yamato," said Takeru, knowing that meant what she said.

* * *

When the brothers entered the pub dining area, they met the others sitting at the bar tables.

"Boy, do I need a drink," said Jou in exasperation as he leaned back against his chair.

"I'm sure you do, after what you just did," Koushiro replied. "You had a flashback in there, didn't you?"

"Is that what we're calling them now?"

"It's the best I could think of. They hit you all of a sudden, these images and scenes that seem so unfamiliar, yet they feel so real, that they're almost like... like..."

"Memories," Takeru said, and everyone fell silent, exchanging glances with each other. The 'flashbacks'... 'memories'... it made sense to Takeru as to why everyone gathered here, and the reason that Jou brought him to the pub became clearer.

"I can't wait any longer," Mimi said impatiently. "What do we do now?"

"I told Tai that we would all be meeting here," Koushiro said. "He should be here any moment."

"No doubt that Kari will show up here, too," added Jou.

"Hmm," Yamato grunted, turning his head to the door. "What's taking him so long?"

"I'll call him," said Koushiro. But as soon as he put his phone up to his ear, he heard the sound of a ringtone. Everyone else heard it too, and they all turned to look at the door.

Mimi gasped.

"That's gotta be him!"

* * *

 **-Taichi-**

* * *

No one had been answering Taichi's calls.

Throughout the last few hours, Taichi sent a text to Jensen and Nyla, and a few more to Hikari to check on her. His phone stayed silent, with no words or voices to respond.

His apartment was quiet, save for Tenshi rushing to him to nuzzle against his leg. He sighed, feeling hopeless that Hikari had wandered off once again. It was then that a thought frightened him, with his digivice in his pocket. He and Izzy already got theirs. The other kids at summer camp and in his dreams must have gotten theirs, too.

Hikari wasn't at summer camp, but if she had those dreams...

 _Where did she go?_

"Sorry, Tenshi, I have to go," he said, rushing out the door. This time, he hurried to Jou's book shop first, thinking that it might have been a waste to try the other places beforehand.

But when he got there, he was crestfallen to find that she wasn't. However, he was surprised to see it closed in the middle of the day, and neither the shop owner nor his trusty employee were in it.

He checked all the places he normally checked for her, getting more worried after each place. He checked until there was only one place left to go, and he had been hesitant to go all along. As he headed there, he picked up his phone again, seeing that Koushiro was already there as they had planned:

" _At the pub now. We're all waiting for you."_

Hikari might have already gone to the pub - at least, Taichi figured. She must have gotten word from one of the others, and ended up there on her own. It was the only plausible explanation.

Whether she was at the pub or not, Taichi sped up his pace as he approached the pub. _Hikari is safe with them,_ he thought. _She knew something was wrong with herself, just like the rest of us, and we're all meeting up to figure out what to do next._

Standing in front of the door to the pub, he was about to knock, and then…

 _Me? Was I their leader?_

Taichi took a step back, his eyes widening at the images that flashed in his head.

 _Why would they choose me? I'm not even strong enough...I could never-_

That was when his phone rang.

He stopped and scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket. Was it Hikari calling him? Or maybe it was Jensen?

But when he looked at the name on the lit screen, his eyebrows furrowed.

"...Izzy?" he said aloud, just as the door opened in front of him.

He was face to face with Yamato, staring, waiting for him to say something.

"Tai! You made it!" said Koushiro excitedly.

Jou, Mimi, and Takeru stood behind, staring curiously at him. All eyes were on him, watching, like they all did back then... as though they were waiting for him to say something.

As though they were waiting for him to lead.

"I can't do this," Tai said suddenly.

"Wait a minute, Tai," said Jou. "What are you talking about?"

He felt the tremble in his own breath as he inhaled.

"I'm sorry… I can't."

Then, he broke into a run. How could he face them like this? Not after all that happened. What could he do to help them face whatever they had to face?

He didn't realize that anyone would run after him.

"Tai!" he heard Yamato call from behind him. "Stop!"

By the time Taichi reached the park, he was panting, his hands on his knees as he bent down to take a breath. He sensed why Yamato chased him, and he was prepared to send him away.

"Let's go back, Tai," said Yamato. "We've been waiting for you."

"I'm not going."

"What?"

"You go on ahead without me."

But Yamato didn't budge, to Taichi's dismay.

"Don't you want to find out what happened to you? To all of us?"

Taichi stood up, clenching his fists and tempted to raise his arms. He couldn't understand why, but it annoyed him that Yamato wouldn't back down. "I'm fine out here."

"I'm serious! We need to go back to the others!"

Gritting his teeth, Taichi stared at Yamato whose voice raised in volume. It angered him enough to shout back. "I said _I'm fine out here, Matt!"_

Yamato glared in response. "Do you really think I really want to fight you right now?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why are your fists up when you're talking to me?!"

"Oh…" Taichi lowered his hands as he realized what he was doing. But just as he did, he felt it again - a sharp pain and a blinding flash of light, then fragments of an image of the younger versions of him and Yamato at each others' necks.

It left his mind as soon as it appeared. He held his head, but he also saw Yamato massaging his own temples.

"This is giving me a headache," Yamato grumbled quietly.

"You didn't have to follow me," Taichi said with irritation.

"It's not just you."

Taichi realized what he meant.

"Matt. The headaches… the questions… I get it. I'm just… afraid of what I have to do. I'm afraid of what we have to face when we all go back."

Yamato sighed. "We all are."

Then, he turned around, and Taichi followed him. They walked back to the pub together in silence. Taichi wasn't sure what to talk about with Yamato. Either way, he knew he would have to face everyone again. At the very least, he would know where Hikari was, and that she was safe with everyone else at the pub.

Except, Taichi didn't remember seeing her there when the door was opened.

"Hikari's there, too, right?" he asked.

"Hikari? We've been waiting for her," Yamato replied.

Taichi stopped. If she didn't show up at the pub, then where could she have gone?

Unless...

"No… That can't be right."

With his panic rising, Taichi burst through the door of the pub, everyone turning their heads toward him in surprise. "Where's Hikari?"

"I've already said she wasn't here," said Yamato.

"We thought she was gonna show up with you," said Koushiro.

"What do you-" Taichi stopped as he noticed Sora from behind the counter, her shoulder wrapped in bandages. Everyone turned to look at her, but her eyes met Taichi's with a quick glance before she averted them. She took a seat next to Mimi, who stared at her with concern. Taichi knew he was going to ask what happened to her later.

"I saw Hikari," said Takeru. "There was something odd about her."

"I saw her, too," said Mimi. "She was looking for someone."

"No…" said Taichi, not wanting to believe it. "She couldn't have gone..."

"She's in the Digital World."

Everyone turned to see a woman with red hair, and Taichi recognized her immediately.

"Nyla!" he exclaimed, surprised that she appeared before him after hearing nothing back from her all day. The longer he stared, dumbfounded, the more questions raised in his mind.

"I've seen you before," said Mimi. "You come here with Taichi sometimes, and with that other guy."

"Jensen," added Koushiro. "You know what's happening, don't you? Why we have these memories? Why we're like this?"

"We made sure that you all got your digivices, and it seems like some of you have already made your way there."

Sora avoided Nyla's eyes and went to wash the glasses. Taichi knew there was no mistaking what that meant.

"Who else has gone?" Taichi asked. "Other than me, Izzy, and Sora?"

"Just me," Mimi replied.

"I haven't," said Yamato, then he looked to Nyla. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

"We'll explain when we get there," Nyla replied.

"Wait, what?" Jou said in surprise. "We're going? Right now?"

"Isn't that why you came prepared, Jou? No wonder they call you a 'doctor'."

"I'm _not_ a doctor!"

"Let's go," said Taichi, now with only one worry on his mind. "I have to make sure Hikari's alright."

"Jensen's looking for her right now," said Nyla. "Don't worry, Taichi."

 _'Looking for her'?_

"But wait!" said Jou. "How are we supposed to get there?"

"...We'll go through the front door," said Taichi, with Nyla giving him a look. She nodded, and then looked to the others, all of them wearing the same knowing expression.

"Let's go."

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. 'Til next time. ;)_


End file.
